[<c04041a7>] kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10

[duckyreads]

I have a friend whose computer we are trying to upgrade from the status of 'paperweight'. It won't boot the XP it had installed on it anymore; it cycles through the boot-up page over and over again. We decided to try Linux -- I've gone through install CDs, Live CDs, bootable USB images (Sugar On A Stick, anyone?)

However, the computer always hangs at the same place --

[<c04041a7>] kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10

...help? Is the computer too damaged to install Linux? Is there a way to work around the damage?

The OS versions that we were looking at (other than the blueberry version of Sugar On A Stick)
-ubuntu (just because I figured, this one might have the most support)
-puppy linux
-knoppix
-DSL (*censored* small linux)

[TheUnixGuy]

Hello,

... status of 'paperweight'. It won't boot ...

This ain't poetry to use metaphors.. What is wrong with the box anyway? How old is it? Describe some of that with your specs too..

Of what I gather at the moment, this seems a hardware issue. Check memory with memtest...
If that wont work either, try replacing the RAM chips..

[TheUnixGuy]

Again,

You could expect a reply sooner if you spent more time describing things than copying and pasting it around on all forums:
http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1145789
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic282304.html

[duckyreads]

I've done a Memtest. And other than going past 100 percent complete (... yeah, have no idea why it did that. I'm computer-stupid, but at least I can tell you that I had already run the test on my own, even if it went... oddly.) It didn't come up with any errors.

Not entirely sure what the other boards have to do with it; I cover more ground by asking in more than one place. Different people go to different sites. Yeah, I copy paste ... myself? When I don't want to type out a problem twice. Is this a personal pet peeve of yours? Not really sure what the problem is. If I was opening a billion threads in one forum, I'd understand the irritation, but otherwise, I'm not really sure what your issue is.

Sorry if this irritates you, but here's the info on my friend's computer -- though, obviously, you've found it for yourself, already. Ah, kudos?

It's a Dell Latitude D810; it has a different hard drive than it did originally (I think... 80gigs? Because the original one did a header, and died spectacularly).

That's generally the error it gets stuck with -- kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10. (Be it Ubuntu based or Fedora based, CD boot based or USB based).

It doesn't like to boot from CDs very much (it's really... ornery?) but when it does, regardless of the system, that seems to be the problem.

When it's trying to boot windows, it gave off errors that apparently indicate that an installed memory module could be faulty/improperly seated. Is there a way to work around that? This could be a stupid question, it's just -- sometimes programs like ZBrush expand into the actual harddisk space for fake 'RAM', so I thought maybe I could get Linux system to section off part of the harddrive to work as RAM. (This is probably a stupid assumption, but I don't actually know). This could be related to the error, or not -- it's just that I pretty consistently get that error.

a copy of what the screen says the last time I tried to boot the blueberry version of Sugar on a Stick (sorry if I make any stupid typos):

Code: [Select]

[<c0767010>] oops_end+0x99/0xa1
[<c0420083>] no_context+0x10d/0x117
[<c04201ac>] __bad_area_nosemaphore+0x11f/0x127
[<c0563141>] ? avc_has_perm+0x41/0x4b
[<c0594778>] ? idr_get_empty_slot+0x13c/0x1e7
[<c0564721>] ? inode_has_perm+0x69/0x84
[<c0764f88>] ? _cond_resched+0x8/0x2b
[<c0767ead>] ? do_page_fault+0x0/0x298
[<c04201c6>] bad_area_nosemaphore+0x12/0x15
[<c0767fe1>] do_page_fault+0x134/0x298
[<c0767ead>] ? do_page_fault+0x0/0x298
[<c0766663>] error_code+0x73/0x78
[<c04b00d8>] ? end_swap_bio_read+0x5a/0x62
[<c04ba94d>] ? kmem_cache_create+0xf4/0x23e
[<c09a4f29>] ? eventpoll_init+0x0/0xc1
[<c09a4fb3>]  eventpoll_init+0x8a/0xc1
[<c055dc28>] ? security_sb_kern_mount+0x12/0x15
[<c0498646>] ? free_pages+0x8/0x24
[<c09a4619>] ? init_pipe_fs+0x0/0x3d
[<c09a4639>] ? init_pipe_fs+0x20/0x3d
[<c0401143>] do_one_initcall+0x51/0x13f
[<c0989372>] kernel_init+0x19c/0x1ed
[<c0989id6>] ? kernel_init+0x0/0x1ed
[<c04041a7>] kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10

[TheUnixGuy]

Hello,

Not entirely sure what the other boards have to do with it; I cover more ground by asking in more than one place. Different people go to different sites. Yeah, I copy paste ... myself? When I don't want to type out a problem twice. Is this a personal pet peeve of yours? Not really sure what the problem is. If I was opening a billion threads in one forum, I'd understand the irritation, but otherwise, I'm not really sure what your issue is.

I just meant to point out the fact that your post contained less information than it should and unfortunately I'm present on all the forums. The incomplete post seems to irritate everybody.


Did you replace the RAM chip with a different one as I suggested earlier?

[BC_Programmer]

the reason no OS will boot is evidently due to faulty RAM.

[TheUnixGuy]

Hello,
Been saying that since my first post. They decide whether to follow or comment on others.