Can't install Gentoo linux on Dell Inspiron 530

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Thu, Aug 23, 2007 at 11:11:09PM -0400, Walter Dnes wrote:
>   I got a shiny new Dell Inspiron from the "PC fairy".  Windows Vista
> works OK (at least good enough for Windows).  It does not want to be
> formatted<g>.  I insert the latest minimal install CD, and things start
> off OK at the beginning of the boot process.  *THE USB KEYBOARD WORKS OK
> AT THE BEGINNING*  I can type in "gentoo" or "gentoo-nofb".  A bunch of
> modules load, and eventually we get to the "default keymap" stage, at
> which point, things fall apart.
> 
>   1) The keyboard (USB) now types each character twice.  If I attempt to
> type "41", it comes out as "4411", and the install program complains
> about an invalid keymap number.
> 
>   2) Even though the CD managed to boot initially, it now complains
> about not being able to find any bootable medium.  The CMOS setup shows...
> 
> SATA-0   SAMSUNG HD501LJ
> SATA-1   HL-DT-ST CD-RW/DVD-R
> SATA-2   port not present
> SATA-3   port not present
> SATA-4   HL-DT-STDVD+-RW GSA-
> SATA-5   None
> 
> Drive A  1.44M, 3.5 in
> 
>   The install asks me to type in either the boot device or "shell" for a
> shell.  Of course, with a b0rk3n keyboard, I can't do either.

Is gentoo using a new enough kernel to use sata optical drives?  Does it
have support for such enabled?  Initial boot is handled by bios so that
doesn't count.

As for the keyboard, well usb handoff is broken in some bioses and can
be a real pain.  Dell machines are in general probably the most likely
to have such bios breakage. :)

--
Len Sorensen
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