Marc Peters: "v 0.11 boot disk problem" (Dec  8, 15:01):
quoted text
> I just downloaded the new improved v0.11, but it doesn't want to load on my
> computer.  It gives a couple errors similar to
>  HD controller reset failed: 000
>  Kernel Panic: HD controller not ready
> and aborts the loading of the system.  My computer has an MFM HD and 
> controller which may account for the problem, but v0.10 didn't seem to mind.
> A friend has a machine with an IDE drive and controller, it gives the 
> first error but loads the system and seems to work fine.

Thanks, this is why there are still debug-statements in the code. There
are in fact two solutions (I hope) to the problem. Both of them require
you to change the file "linux/kernel/blk_drv/hd.c" which does the
harddisk specific stuff. As 0.10 doesn't try to reset the controller at
bootup, it seems to work, and you can still use it to recompile 0.11.

1 - set static int reset to 0 at startup (currently 1).  This means
linux won't try to reset the controller in the beginning, but this is
just a temporary hack: if there are errors later on that need a reset,
you'll be in the same trouble.

2 - try to edit the timeouts in "reset_controller". If memory serves,
it's a line that goes like this:

	outb_p(4,HD_CMD);
quoted text
>>	for (i=0 ; i<100 ; i++)
		nop();
	outb_p(xxx,HD_CMD);

Change the max value to 10000 or something, and try again. I have only
one controller to test, and timing-problems are always the worst kind.
There are a couple of other timing-values that are completely arbitrary
(guess a number between 1 and 100000, and if it works, it works :-), but
this is the first suspect.

I'd be very grateful if everybody who encounters this problem would try
out (2), and report to me how big the value had to be before the reset
made it (or indeed if it works even then). Don't do (1) unless nothing
else works. I'd also be interested to know what kind of machine you are
running (fast machine, slow disk?).

		Linus

PS. I hope even old linux-users read the INSTALL-file: there is a change
in how linux boots up. No more /bin/update, instead linux executes the
shell script /etc/rc, which may mount/fsck etc, and start up update in
the background.