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I just picked up a new P5SD2-X mobo, and Pentium D 830 for my ATX box which has a DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, and CDRW on it.

If I drop in the install disk for any version of Linux, it boots, but then cannot find the installer.

Has anyone else had this experience with this mobo? Its driving me crazy.

Rob

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Dani AI

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Following 's update, here are focused checks and explanations for the symptom where an install CD boots but the installer later cannot find its media. The goal is to isolate whether the problem is BIOS/hardware enumeration, cabling/power, or a driver/controller mismatch at kernel load.

  • Verify BIOS detection first: note the exact model strings the BIOS reports for each optical and hard drive. If a drive is missing there, the problem is at the hardware/BIOS level rather than the installer.
  • Check SATA/IDE controller mode in BIOS (AHCI vs IDE/Compatibility vs RAID). Older installers can fail to see drives when the controller is in a mode that requires a driver not present in the initrd. Changing this can affect existing OS installs, so document settings before changing them.
  • Inspect PATA/IDE cabling and jumpers: 80-wire cables, correct pin‑1 orientation, and proper master/slave or cable‑select settings are required. For SATA, try different motherboard ports to rule out a bad port.
  • Confirm power distribution: each drive needs a solid Molex/SATA power feed; marginal PSU rails or shared connectors can cause drives to drop out under load.
  • Gather kernel-side evidence during the failed install: switch to a console and capture dmesg and /proc/partitions (for example, dmesg | less and cat /proc/partitions) to see whether the CD device or controller is re-enumerated or errors are reported. Check loaded modules (lsmod) for the expected ATA/sr drivers.
  • Try an alternative installer kernel or a more recent distro live image to determine whether driver support is the issue. Also check BIOS and drive firmware updates which sometimes fix enumeration bugs.

Notes/caution: changing controller modes or jumpering can make an existing OS unbootable; document settings first. Collect BIOS device lists and the installer dmesg output for precise diagnosis.

Member Avatar for analogdog

I found an answer to this from another tech list I belong to. He had an Asus K8N mobo, and had multiple optical drives as I do, and found that the system could be installed to if the other drives were disconnected.

Worked like a charm for me with my P5SD2-X.

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