Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Issues related to hardware problems
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TrevorH
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by TrevorH » 2018/03/10 16:45:40

Well, given the symptoms I don't think it's very likely but did you consider using a flash drive that isn't so cheap to see if that's the cause of the problem?
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

john2018
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by john2018 » 2018/03/10 17:51:13

My bad trevor you're right of course he's using the standard iso.

I was going to suggest 2 other things I didn't get round to:

1. Remove the video card from the machine and set the bios to motherboard/CPU graphics if it has it
(My new GTX card took great offence to me trying to install before removing nouveau fully - it started cooking
things - red lights on the mobo the works) Its been ok since I swapped the driver.

2. Try installing from the Everything iso

I had a number of issues installing before I'd learned a bit about what I was doing and they all cleared
when I used that iso - I dont know that helped at all -(apart from my spotting KDE and the UHD630) but its worth a try.
(hence the suggestion of bigger thumb drive - belatedly... sorry)

FWIW - I buggered my install totally this afternoon (messing with guieid stuff to see what I could get root to overcome boot-locking).
But I've just done a clean install with that ISO again and it went on with no trouble at all.
(A 10 minute job these days - of course the setup will take me a month to get right....)

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TrevorH
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by TrevorH » 2018/03/10 19:55:41

All the iso images use the exact same kernel and supporting packages, there should be no difference except a wasted 8GB download to try the Eveything one.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

john2018
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by john2018 » 2018/03/12 11:38:14

Ok - but why have it then?

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TrevorH
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by TrevorH » 2018/03/12 11:55:33

The Everything iso image contains all the packages that make up CentOS, including the approximately 4GB of them that cannot be selected from the GUI installer. It's designed for sysadmins who are aiming to set up their own local mirror of the base CentOS repo so that they can download all files in one go. Using it for normal installs just wastes 4GB of your bandwidth to download it as the extra packages can only be selected by using a kickstart file.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

john2018
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Joined: 2018/02/17 19:09:47

Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by john2018 » 2018/03/15 12:59:11

Ah - I see - thanks Trevor.

nylarahotep
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by nylarahotep » 2018/03/17 01:46:05

Update. I think I got a bad MB.

First, I tried swapping DIMMs around. Didn't change anything. I finally got the new DVD drive. After connecting, the drive itself acted like it was faulty as well; it didn't power up, spin up, and wouldn't recognize the eject button. However, as long as the drive was connected, I could successfully boot from the USB stick and begin the install process. Partway through the install, it would crash as previously. But it would get *further* through the install than without the DVD drive connected. I could go -- sometimes -- through the install configuration. Exactly when and where the install crashes is somewhat random; sometimes while I was still in the configuration section, sometimes it would begin the install process and at least partition the drive.

If I disconnected the DVD drive, it would go back to the original behavior, and crash before I even got to the install.

Maybe, as john2018 suggest, there's some weird incompatible overclock setting. Time to call MSI, I guess.

john2018
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by john2018 » 2018/03/17 13:30:33

erm... did I suggest checking the PSU ?
I should have - or perhaps someone else did.
Check both wattage capability and volts levels.
Is it new?

nylarahotep
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by nylarahotep » 2018/03/19 18:54:22

I think there's an F missing between "mother" and "board".

The PSU was used, but it seemed to work. It's rated at 750W, so it's more than enough to drive the MB, SSD and CPU fan. However, in the masochistic quest of grasping at straws, I tried a brand-spanking-new, fresh out of the box 850W PSU I was going to use in another system. And, ...

Nothing. The system wouldn't even power up. No blinky lights, nothing. I checked the cabling, but not like there's a lot of different ways to connect a 24-pin ATX connector to a board. Once the impulse to smash the entire setup with a hammer subsides, I might try to paper-clip the (new) power supply to validate that it works. However, Corsair, in their infinite wisdom, doesn't color-code the wiring on their new PSU cabling, so I have to count the pins carefully or I'll get some nice fireworks.

I appreciate all of the suggestions; it's also quite obvious this issue has nothing to do with CentOS or hardware compatibilities.

nylarahotep
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Re: Install fails MSI Z270-A pro

Post by nylarahotep » 2018/04/15 06:34:47

Okay, good news: I got it to work.

Bad news: I haven't the foggiest clue how. Seriously. Same board, same DRAM, same CPU, same PSU, same SSD, same USB stick. I left the system alone for a few days to allow the impulse to smash it into little itsy bitsy pieces could recede. I put in the USB stick, booted it up, and it just worked this time. Install went fine, updates, and so on.

Again, thanks for all the tips, which I'll file away for future reference should I need more stress in my life and try this again.

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