initramfs + busybox trouble installing

[wconstantine]

I'm stuck at initramfs after trying to launch the livecd/install ubuntu. I've tried safe graphics mode and several boot parameters such as: noirqdebug irqpoll noapic nolapic nomsi

It loads the linux kernel, then the loading bar shows up. It loads and then it just pops up initramfs.

My system specs are E6600, 8800GT, MSI P965 Neo, 2GB 667MHz.

[matl1984]

i got the same message.

i turned the "sata mode" in bios from "ahci" to "raid" and then it works

my motherboard is asrock 775 twins hdtv r2.0.
my hard disks are seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 16MB
i have 2 sata disks and only dvds are at primary ide master and secondary ide master

my messages - not exactly:

BusyBox 1.1.3...
initramfs
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: reset failed. giving up
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: reset failed. giving up

[Daveoc64]

Thank you!

That fixed my installation, so I don't need to reinstall!

[wconstantine]

i got the same message.

i turned the "sata mode" in bios from "ahci" to "raid" and then it works

my motherboard is asrock 775 twins hdtv r2.0.
my hard disks are seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 16MB
i have 2 sata disks and only dvds are at primary ide master and secondary ide master

my messages - not exactly:

BusyBox 1.1.3...
initramfs
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: reset failed. giving up
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: reset failed. giving up

Do you have raid? Because I don't. Dunno why that should do the trick. Will try tho.

Edit: Didn't work.

I've located the problem to be with the wonderful JMicron that my motherboard has. It's a major pain in the ***. Any ideas that could help me?

[garyc_onbuntu]

I had a similar problem on a Dell Vostro 200 - attempts to install or check the CD (8.04 i386 desktop) just resulted in being dumped to the BusyBox screen with (initramfs) showing.

Eventually it would show [111.485885] ata 1.00: revalidation failed.

I went into the BIOS and change the SATA mode from 'IDE' to 'RAID', rebooted and its now installing as I write.

What does this actually do? I have one SATA HDD and a SATA DVD-RW. The machine was a new machine reject due to case damage and the disk had been reformatted with FAT32 if that makes any difference.

Anyway, I'm up and running so thanks alot for the tip.

[painaxl]

I had this same issue and it was resolved by switching from IDE to RAID in the BIOS.

HOWEVER... I was trying to set up a dual boot with Vista using easybcd. I got into Ubuntu fine, but when I tried to reboot into Vista, it wouldn't even get to the splash screen before it rebooted the system. I did the entire rebuild of the bootloader as written on the excellent tutorials on the easybcd site and nothing changed. So I went back into the BIOS and changed the SATA setting back to IDE. That did it and Vista booted fine.

What does that setting do and why does Vista only accept the IDE setting and Ubuntu the RAID setting? I've got a SATA HDD and a SATA DVD-RW, like Gary C, in a Dell Inspiron 530. Any ideas on why this is necessary and what's happening?

[azurehi]

I get the same initramfs + busybox message. I have no idea how to access bios and can't understand why, after using ubuntu successfully since 6.06, I cannot install 8.04. I have downloaded the image X3 and also the alternate install image and get the same error. I am stymied. Help please - thank you.

[sorta90]

i got the same message.

i turned the "sata mode" in bios from "ahci" to "raid" and then it works

my motherboard is asrock 775 twins hdtv r2.0.
my hard disks are seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 16MB
i have 2 sata disks and only dvds are at primary ide master and secondary ide master

my messages - not exactly:

BusyBox 1.1.3...
initramfs
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata1: reset failed. giving up
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: COMRESET failed (errno:-16)
[time..] ata2: reset failed. giving up

will this bios thing on raid work with my windows xp media center edition ( im relatively new to this)

[tofuconfetti]

Did you try adding 'irqpoll' at the end of the boot string from the graphical boot up menu? Rather than change a working bios with a Windows install, changing your boot options is less intrusive on the system and less apt to mess up your working Windows install.

Also, if you are new, I'd highly recommend putting Ubuntu on a second drive. Careful "moving" or "resizing" partitions unless you know what you're doing.

[felipe de la muerte]

hello,

i have a similar problem with hardy.
after a simple upgrade some things did not work anymore (fglrx....), so i decided to do a clean install, since my home folder is on a different partition anyway.
but after the upgrade i got some problems with my cd writer, the system would freeze every time i wanted to burn the cd. i was getting some strange messages on tty1, like

[ time...] hdb: drive not ready for command
[ time...] hdb: timeout verifying DMA

these come up again and again, and the system freezes, so i had to burn the cd in winxp. never seen things like this before.
the live cd brings up busybox and also some weird messages like

[ time...] ata4.01: cmd a0/01:00:00:80:00/00:00:00:00:00/b0 tag 0 dma 128 in
[ time...] ata4.01: status { DRDY }
[ time...] exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x2 frozen

again and again every 40-50 units in "time" (seconds? ).

i'll try the bios thing now.

but seriously: wtf?

UPDATE:
neither the adding irqpoll nor all_generic_ide to the boot string of the live cd helped. my single sata-disk is already managed as raid by the bios, because winxp needed it for some reason.
well, i don't really know what else to try.