Have I a Hardware Problem?

[MalcolmW]

I am attempting to install Linux Mint 18.2 xfce on an Medion MD96630 laptop (CPU Intel 2-core 1.6 GHz and 4 GB of DDR2 RAM). I can't rely on booting into a USB live session to complete an interrupted installation and after automatic boot get a screen similar to that I have appended below.

From reading on the Internet I have been led to think I have a failing HDD or RAM. Has any Linux user here got any idea what I may conclude from the screen output which repeats on and on and eventually will end with a desktop-like display of a Linux Mint log-in screen which will not accept the user name and password I set initially.

Screen Image Output Text Follows:
[ 12.776641] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
[ 12,776668] sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 62.444062] ata4,00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x60000000 SErr 0x0action 0x6 frozen
[ 62.444085] ata4,00: failed command: READ FPDMA QUEUED
[ 62.444099] ata4.00: cmd 60/38E8:e8:40:00:00/00:00:00:00/40 tag 29 ncq dma 28672 in
[ 62.444099] res 40/00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 62.444118] ata4,00: status: { DRDY }
[ 62.444127] ata4,00: failed command: READ FPDMA QUEUED
[ 62.444139] ata4,00: cmd 60/90:f0:80:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/ tag 30 ncq dma 73728 in
[ 62.444139] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 62.444156] ata4,.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 93.164052] ata4.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x2 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 93,164073] ata4.00: failed command: READ FPDMA QUEUED
[ 93.164087] ata4,00: cmd 60/90:08:80:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/40 tag 1 ncq dma73728 in
[ 93.164087] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 93.164106] ata4,00: status: { DRDY }
[ 123.884051] ata4,00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x10000 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 123.884072] ata4,00: failed command: READ FDMA QUEUED
[ 123.884086] ata4,00: cmd 60/90: 8O :80 :00:00/00:00:00:00:00/40 tag 16 ncq dma 73728 in
[ 123.889086] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 123.884105] ata4.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 156.652066] ata4,00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0X40000000 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 156.652090] ata4,00: failed command: READ FPDMA QUEUED
[ 156.652104] ata4,00: cmd 60/90:f0:80:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/40 tag 30 ncq dma73728 in
[ 156,652104] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 156.652122] ata4.00: status: { DRDY }
[ 189.420040] ata,4.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x40000000 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 189.420060] ata4,00: failed command READ DMA
[ 189.420073] ata4,00: cmd c8/00:90: 80 :00 :00/00:00 :00:00:00/e0 tag 13 dma 73728 in
[ 189.420073] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 189.920091] ata4,00: status: { DRDY }
[ 220.140056] ata4,00: exception Emask 0xO SAct 0X0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
[ 220.140078] ata4,00: failed command; READ DMA
[ 220.140091] ata4,00: cmd c8/00:90:80:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/e0 tag 13 dma 73728 in
[ 220,140091] res 40/00:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00 Emask 0x4 (timeout)
[ 220,190110] ata4,00 status: { DRDY }
[ 220,509204] blk_update_request: I/0 error, dev sda, sector 128

 

[EvanDavis]

@Abarbarian might be the man to answer this.

 

[MalcolmW]

Thanks Evan for the tip! I look forward to his input.

 

[Abarbarian]

@MalcolmW "I can't rely on booting into a USB live session to complete an interrupted installation"

I do not understand this.

Are you trying to install from a Live Mint of a usb stick ?

Did you check your download Live CD/ OS image/ Image .iso with MD5/SHA or whatever ?

http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-install-linux-mint-on-your-windows-pc/

check your newly burned disc for errors. Over the years, I've had more problems with running Linux and installing Linux from DVDs from bad discs than all other causes combined.

https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=237

AS you have not got very far into the install I would make a fresh download and verify it was ok. Make a fresh install to a usb stick and try again.
You should be able to do hdd/ssd and memory checks from a live usb Mint as there are tools included with most linux os's for this.
I do not use Mint so you would need to hunt up the information for this.
Try the a fresh run and if you have problems call back.

 

[MalcolmW]

Thank you for your response; it is much appreciated. You don't mention a hardware failure or fault so I am happy that you have not referred to such as a possibility!

@MalcolmW "I can't rely on booting into a USB live session to complete an interrupted installation"
I do not understand this. Are you trying to install from a Live Mint of a usb stick ?.

I have a Linux Mint 18.2 xfce ISO on a USB (stick).

@MalcolmW Did you check your download Live CD/ OS image/ Image .iso with MD5/SHA or whatever ?

I used the 3rd party utility Rufus to `burn' the ISO to the USB stick; a verifying was included in the process. As you suggest I will download the ISO again and instead of Rufus use YUMI to prepare the USB stick.

@MalcolmW You should be able to do hdd/ssd and memory checks from a live usb Mint as there are tools included with most linux os's for this.

Yes indeed. That is when I have a live session installed!

@MalcolmW I do not use Mint so you would need to hunt up the information for this.
Try the a fresh run and if you have problems call back.

I'll advise when progress is made.

Thank you again,

Malcolm

 

[Abarbarian]

@MalcolmW I have used Rufus and it should work for putting Mint on a stick. However some linux os's do seem to have a problem with Windows programs.
Yes Rufus will verify the copy is correct. I always do a verify even though it takes up extra time. Mind you these days I always use the "dd" command from a linux install.

By verify I mean check that the download is a s it should be. The Mint download page mentions this and gives a link to follow,

https://linuxmint.com/verify.php

Ha ! it only gives ways to check from a linux os so not much use to you. At this stage anyway, later on you may need that knowledge.

So for Windows that wonderful os, it seems the folk at Redmond have never included a very useful tool in their os. You can obtain a tool from Microsoft for free, whoooopeee. However it is a command line tool so not very useful for most folk.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=11533

When you download a file from the internet, quite often you cannot be 100% guaranteed that the file has not been changed in some way from the original. This could either be by the site you are downloading from, corruption due to errors in the download process, an individual who has uploaded the file for you, or possibly the most dangerous, the file has been infected by malicious software.

So if you have something like an MD5 or SHA1 hash value from a website and want to check the integrity of the file you have downloaded, what do you do? Sadly, there is nothing available in Windows to help you out. What is needed is a utility to calculate a hash value using the same algorithm. Simply have a look at the tools below and use one of them to see if the hash value you have matches.

Have a looksee here to find a Windows friendly tool. I have never used any of them. As I am a sucker for a whacky named program I would try out IgorWare Hasher it looks small and neat with no obvious extra crud and you can use it from a usb stick. Or as a second option, with a boring name,MD5 & SHA-1 Checksum Utility , possibly even easier to use the Igor.

10 Tools to Verify File Integrity Using MD5 and SHA1 Hashes

An just a bit of promotion for my favourite at the moment backup linux distro.
Why settle for boring old Mint when you could have the fabulous perfection of MX-16 ?

https://mxlinux.org/download-links
https://mxlinux.org/download-links

 

[Urmas]

Here is one possible culprit (PSU, see post #4):

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2272486

 

[MalcolmW]

This is my promised post to report that I now have a working copy of Linux Mint 18.2 xfce on my elderly Medion 96630 laptop after a successful install!

I followed up on the comments and suggestions of Abarbarian and Urmas but found nothing to make any progress. My solution was to acquire a similar used hard drive, at a modest cost to replace the `faulty' drive in the laptop. The install went smoothly and the performance I am experiencing is very adequate.

I would like to thank and extend my appreciation to those who contributed to this thread.

Malcolm

 

[Abarbarian]

@MalcomW Good job mate and welcome to the penguin army.

If you can find a 60 GB or 120 GB ssd dirt cheap anywhere that will certainly make the laptop fly along.
I would stay away from the cheap imports though. If you sign up for special deal newsletters from the main pc suppliers in the uk one will appear at some time.