HELP! Just started trying to do my first Knoppmyth (and Linux) install and I am pulling my hair out trying to get this to work. I just keep getting endless cycling errors while trying to install.

Here's my system:
PCU - AMD X2 4800 (65w)
PSU - Seasonic S12-430
CPU fan - Zalman CNPS 9500AM2
HD - Western Digital SE WD5000AAKS
DVD RW - SATA - Samsung
Video Card - Gigabyte GV-NX73G128D
Audio - onboard
RAM - G.Skill - 2 Gig
SD Tuners - 2 - Hauppauge 150s.
HD Tuner - HD Homerun

Errors receiving:
ata6.00: speed down requested but no transfer mode let
ata6.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata6.00: tag 0 cmd 0x20 Emask 0x1 stat 0x41 err 0x4 (device error)
end_request I/O error, dev sda, sector 0
Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 0

It appears to me that I may have received a bad hard drive, or something isn't configured right with my BIOS although I've tried what seems like every different option. Additionally, I can hear the hard drive spinning up, it sounds like it reads for a second, and then stops. It just keeps doing this over and over.

I don't think this is necessarily a Knoppmyth problem maybe just hardware in general, but please help before I make this system into a boat anchor.

it's not a problem with the hdd jumper is it? if theres a jumper on master, try taking it out.

Dang! Everything but the motherboard... And which version of KnoppMyth are we playing with here?

Is your drive connected to a SATA RAID port, or is the BIOS setting for SATA set for RAID? Set it to non-RAID if possible...

Will look at the jumper on the hard drive. Thought I had checked this already, but will look again.

Version R5F1 which I believe is current, correct?

HD is not connected to a raid port, just a standard SATA port. Also checked (several times) and RAID is turned off in the BIOS.

Motherboard? This could be a problem with the particular SATA controller...

Not sure which jumper you are referring to, this is a SATA drive isn't it? Double-check your data and power cable connections.

What point do you reach in the boot process before you see these messages?

And yes, R5F1 is the latest KnoppMyth.

Motherboard is a M2N-SLI Deluxe. This one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131013

Yes, SATA drive. No jumpers are installed on this particular drive. I have already checked both the power and the SATA cables and actually even replaced the SATA cable. No luck.

I just get to the splash screen and enter TV <enter>, it then says "Uncompressing Linux...Ok, booting the kernal", then it starts this endless loop of errors about 10 seconds later. At one point it brought up the options screen for installation but everytime I go to the next step, it keeps writing these scrolling these errors up the screen.

Hmmm...to help determine what the problem is, I went ahead and tried to install Win XP. It wouldn't detect the drive either. I also tried going another route and got the message "error reading partition..." However, the BIOS does detect the drive MOST of the time, but not all. So do you think I have a bad hard drive then? The SATA DVD drive has been reliably detected every time.

I also tried going to the DOS command, changing to the C: directory and typing "Format c:" and no such luck, also gives me errors.

Certainly could be a flaky drive. Is the SATA DVD drive on the first channel? If so, those messages you are seeing refers to the DVD drive. You might try swapping the cables around to see what the motherboard recognizes reliably. Could be the motherboard itself.

Try downloading the Knoppix ISO from http://knopper.net/knoppix-mirrors/index-en.html and see what it will recognize. Knoppix LiveCD is a very helpful tool when trying to diagnose such problems.

Well, turned out it was a bad hard drive. Purchased a new one, flashed the BIOS for good measure, installed and the new drive works like a charm!!!