[Solved] Problem installing Debian on intel atom - won't boot

[red07g5]

Hello,

I am trying to install Debian Buster/Linuxcnc to an intel atom board, D525MW. I am using the live install image found here http://www.linuxcnc.org/iso/linuxcnc-2.8.4-buster.iso.

I mainly use windows and am pretty ignorant when it comes to anything else. I used rufus to copy the image to a USB stick using DD mode as the installer doesn't work in iso image mode and can't find the USB volume after the installer starts.

After installing I do get a graphical grub boot screen (GNU GRUB version 2.06-3~deb10u2) and everything appears to work although not at the native resolution of the monitor, after selecting "Debian GNU/Linux" the screen resolution changes to native resolution and a bunch of boot text goes by but eventually the screen goes black and the VGA monitor complains about no signal.

I am not sure if I've got a non-free driver issue or something else, I've found something about 32bit atom UEFI bios causing issues with 64bit installs, but I have disabled UEFI in the bios settings. I've tried adding "nomodeset" using the "e" key after the line "linux /boot/vmlinuz-4.19.0-21-rt-amd64 root=UUID=### ro initrd=/install/initrd.gz quiet nomodeset" but I still get a black screen eventually, the boot text is no longer in native resolution after adding nomodeset. I've also set DVMT to fixed memory and set the primary video adapter to int graphics in the bios with no change. SATA is AHCI mode, not sure if that matters.

So, I'm not sure if the graphics driver is actually my issue or if it's something else? I recall "slipstreaming" raid drivers into an windows XP install a long time ago on a PC with no floppy drive, do I need to do something similar here with nonfree intel video drivers?

Thank you in advance for any advise!

[artytux]

Hello @red07g5

I clicled on the link you provided my firefox would not open site due to potential security risk, I use strict security rules on Firefox,
and
Did you verify the checksum for the iso download ? ,
and then
Are you installing 64bit iso on a 32bit machine ? ,

regards
artytux

[red07g5]

That's strange, I also get the security error when I use that link but now when I get it from the website directly, section 1.1 normal download http://linuxcnc.org/docs/html/getting-s ... uxcnc.html

I did not check the checksum, I figured this isn't something needing max security. Maybe a novice mistake, I went ahead and checked it and it appears to match.

C:\Users\Downloads>certutil -hashfile linuxcnc-2.8.4-buster.iso MD5
MD5 hash of file linuxcnc-2.8.4-buster.iso:
8a 6e 6a bd 2c 79 2c 3e 06 fb ee 0e d0 49 ed 41
CertUtil: -hashfile command completed successfully.

As far as I am aware, the d525 atom is capable of 64bit instructions, at least according to this site here.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en ... tions.html

I have also not done a memtest, but I had 32bit windows 7 and another CNC controller software installed on this atom board with no stability issues before starting and it worked alright. The other CNC software requires 32bit windows for it's paralle port driver (mach3) I've made no other hardware changes, so I am assuming everything is OK there. I do have another parallel port PCI card to install in the future, but I'll deal with that later.

Thank you for the assistance!

[p.H]

What happens if you boot in rescue mode ?

What is the GPU model ?

Code: Select all

lspci -nnkd ::300

[red07g5]

If I boot in recovery mode the boot terminal does not switch to native monitor resolution, it stays in low resolution mode and eventually still quits outputting any video.

The GPU is the atom integrated graphics. I can't seem to get a terminal no matter what I do, I tried adding "3" to grub boot but I still get a blank screen.

Using the grub command line I can't run that command, I get "unknown argument '-n'". Just running lspci I get 00:02.0 8086:a001 [300] VGA Controller.

I tried installing a 32bit nonfree iso "debian-live-10.13.0-i386-gnome+nonfree" and I get the same results. So I tried installing Wheezy, and besides sourcing issues it actually does work. I managed to find some archive sources, and it kinda works. For some reason apt-get update returns a bunch of 404 errors, still. I guess some stuff just isn't available any more?

Thank you for the assistance!!

[p.H]

Wheezy is archived.
But now you can run the lspci command.

I tried installing a 32bit nonfree iso "debian-live-10.13.0-i386-gnome+nonfree" and I get the same results.

When booting the live system or the newly installed system ?

[red07g5]

Wheezy is archived.
But now you can run the lspci command.

I tried installing a 32bit nonfree iso "debian-live-10.13.0-i386-gnome+nonfree" and I get the same results.

When booting the live system or the newly installed system ?

Yeah, took me a while to figure out why apt-get update wasn't working. I managed to update the sources and found the realtime kernel I need, but not the linuxcnc packages. I guess there are more sources I need to be able to find that, the ones on the linuxcnc documents are 404'd, so that's no good. I did find a wheezy linuxcnc live installer, and that works to get around missing sources. However, I seem to get even better system latency on ubuntu 10.04, which I guess is Squeeze? I am using another live linuxcnc install I found, mostly to get around the missing sources issue. Maybe I should just run the archived versions as lowest system latency is my priority, for this ancient hardware I have that should probably be "archived" into the nearest bin. On the bright side, this PC won't ever be anywhere near the internet when it's fully configured.

I can't boot any sort of buster, either in live mode or on a new install. I can install them, but can't ever get to a terminal. I do get the grub boot menu and can run lspci from there.

[p.H]

Ubuntu is not based on any Debian stable version.
I understand that the subject was deceptive and you do not really want to install Debian, so I will stop here because I don't know Ubuntu, LinuxCNC or any other supposedly Debian derivative.

[red07g5]

Sorry, don't mean to be deceptive. My understanding was that linuxcnc was software that ran on debian. The only reason I am using ubuntu, which I thought was based on debian? is because I am missing the sources to install linuxcnc on a clean install of any debian version that boots on my PC. Mainly I am after the realtime kernel, as linuxcnc won't work without it. It has nothing to do with what I want, only what I can make work at this time.

If I could get buster to boot I am sure the latest sources for linuxcnc would work, then I could test it and see if it would work any better than the working versions I have now. For what it's worth, I still would like to know how to make that work.

Thank you for your time.

[artytux]

Mainly I am after the realtime kernel

Would you able to give the exact details of the kernel if say typing into a search box to locate and then install,Thanks.

I Have an idea

regards
artytux

[red07g5]

For Debian Buster, I need linux-image-rt-amd64.

But I guess to keep things simple, I would just like a booting buster install complete. So far it seems any other older version of debian at least boots, I tested stretch last night, and that also works. It is my understanding that 8 has no realtime kernel available so I haven't tried, and a clean install of wheezy also works. I guess I haven't tried the very latest yet, either.

[sunrat]

The LinuxCNC ISO is somewhat customised afaik. Trying to install on Debian proper would require most of that customisation too.
linuxcnc-uspace is available on Debian development branches now, but they are not known as Testing and Unstable for nothing. YMMV. - https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=LinuxCNC
Maybe best to seek support from their forum as it's a rather niche topic for this forum.

[artytux]

@red07g5

For Debian Buster, I need linux-image-rt-amd64.

SpiralLinux KDE > Synapic
> linux-mage-rt-amd64 6.0.3-1bpo11+1
> linux-image-rt-amd64-dbg 6.0.3-1bpo11+1
OH sorry no good to you, Not Buster it's Bulleye
SpiralLinux a clean Debian spin

https://spirallinux.github.io/

Regards
artytux

[oswaldkelso]

I believe it's may require 32bit to boot Gnu/Linux. It seems that board was on the cusp of 32/64 bit change. Some would work others not. In any case 32bit on a board that age will give better performance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Ato ... chitecture

[red07g5]

Hello again everyone,

I quit working on this board for a while, found something newer to use. I didn't completely give up though, and eventually found a bios update for the D525MW board. I had version 0113, and the latest version I found was 0132.

The exact file I found was "MWPNT10N.86A.0132.EB.ZIP" and I just installed windows again to use the autoupdate .exe. Intel doesn't host anything for this board any longer, have to go to some real shady sites for this file.

With the latest version of the board bios I can install 64bit Buster and it will actually boot.

[Aki]

Hello

Hello again everyone,

I quit working on this board for a while, found something newer to use. I didn't completely give up though, and eventually found a bios update for the D525MW board. I had version 0113, and the latest version I found was 0132.

The exact file I found was "MWPNT10N.86A.0132.EB.ZIP" and I just installed windows again to use the autoupdate .exe. Intel doesn't host anything for this board any longer, have to go to some real shady sites for this file.

With the latest version of the board bios I can install 64bit Buster and it will actually boot.

Thank you for updating the thread. That's really good news.

It would be useful to report the model and manufacturer of your board in case it is useful to other users. You can report the details of your board/hardware using the inxi command, for example:

Code: Select all

inxi -F 

It would be nice to mark the thread as solved, putting the "[Solved]" prefix at the beginning of the subject of the first post of the thread.

Happy Debian :D

[red07g5]

No problem, I hate finding unresolved threads!

The board is an Intel D525MW, here's the result of inxi.

CPU:
Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Atom D525 bits: 64 type: MCP
L2 cache: 512 KiB
Speed: 1800MHz min/max: N/A Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1800 2: 1800
Flags: acpi aperfmperf apic arch_perfmon bts clflush cmov constant_tsc
cpuid cx16 cx8 de ds_cpl dtes64 dtherm dts fpu fxsr ht lahf_lm lm mca mce
mmx monitor movbe msr mtrr nopl nx pae pat pbe pdcm pebs pge pni pse pse36
rep_good sep ss sse sse2 ssse3 syscall tm tm2 tsc vme xtpr

I'm really, really upset with Intel no longer hosting any drivers or bios for this board. Would doing so really hurt the coffers that badly? They still host a single PDF telling you they quit serving the rest of the files. Next time around I guess I'll buy the third party motherboard!!!