Ubuntu

"No Controller Found" Error

Asked by Dante Ciolfi

Hello. I am in the process of installing Hardy to a MacBook, a new notebook purchased a few days ago on Mon Jul 14, 2008. During the install, I successfully back up the MBR from the CLI. However, when I attempt to return to the installation GUI (by hitting fn-alt-F1), I get the error listed below, which causes the system to simply hang and the only way out is to remove all power (battery and outlet). Nothing else (CTRL-ALT-DELETE, etc.) allows me to move forward. Obviously, the system must be restarted and I cannot get past the aforementioned point. I have repeated this error 3 times. Yes, I know I need to get a life (just kidding). Any help is greatly appreciated! Dante

No controller found.
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A. Denton
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A. Denton (aquina) said : 		#1

Ok I have no clue about Macs naut wha do you actually need to return to the inst GUI? Stay there and don't to anything alese as long as such critical staks are being processed. Furthermore try to check your BIOS for USB and legacy support. Enable everything you can find there.

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Dante Ciolfi (ciolfi) said : 		#2

Hi Aquina,
Thanks very much for getting back to me so quickly with some good
tips. Perhaps I need to clarify what I'm up to. I'm in the middle of
an Ubuntu installation, which is part of an attempted triple boot
setup - OS X, Vista and Ubuntu, on a Max OS X notebook. I have two of
the OS's installed successfully - OS X and Vista. The problem begins
when I'm part-way through the Ubuntu installation. Before I start
allocating disk space, etc., I switch to the command line for purposes
of backing up the master boot record. The reason is that Ubuntu will
overwrite the MBR and I need to re-install the MBR when it does this.
Then when I try to leave the command line and switch back to
continuing the installation, that's when it just hangs and gives me
the previously mentioned error message. I'm pretty ignorant about Macs
myself (I'm mainly a PC guy), but I recently purchased one. Thanks
again! Dante

PS: I don't believe I have a BIOS with this Mac. I think it's
something called an EFI shell. Again, sorry for my ignorance. I'm
wondering if I have to go into the shell and enable something called
an ACPI. Is this the controller to which my error message (below) is
referrring? I'm a novice when it comes to shell commands. Thanks!

On Jul 17, 2008, at 9:33 PM, Aquina wrote:

> Your question #39515 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/39515
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Aquina proposed the following answer:
> Ok I have no clue about Macs naut wha do you actually need to return
> to
> the inst GUI? Stay there and don't to anything alese as long as such
> critical staks are being processed. Furthermore try to check your BIOS
> for USB and legacy support. Enable everything you can find there.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to
> let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/39515/+confirm?answer_id=0
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/39515
>
> You received this question notification because you are a direct
> subscriber of the question.
>

Dante Ciolfi
<email address hidden>

Revision history for this message
Best A. Denton (aquina) said : 		#3

Oh you have a BIOS but it's harder to get in there. Have a look into your manual. By the way ACPI is the so called "Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface" which is an open standard for power management on computers. ACPI should be enabled whenever possible. Most Linux sstems have an option though to disable ACPI during the boot process if necessary. Regarding your controller I was obviously wrong. I thought your input devices were ment but controller always refers to storage controllers and thus you suffered from a problem with your mass storage connection I guess.

how often have you already backed up your MBR? Why not skip that sequence? I'd let Ubuntu write the record and then I'd add specifi lines for the two other operating systems within GRUB or LILO (dunno which loader you use with Ubuntu). You can get the necessary lines from your current bootloader and then "just" need to transform them to the new Ubuntu's loaders syntax. Yeah it's complicated but running 3 OSes is as well. Honestly you will sooner or later encounter some FS corruptions with your NTFS drives. Not mentioned that I think it's not quite productive. Why running three different operating systems? Ever tried VM's? This might solve all of your problems!

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Dante Ciolfi (ciolfi) said : 		#4

Aquina,
Thanks very much for your dedication to help me solve my problem. I am especially grateful for the tips re: possible eventual FS corruption in the NTFS partitions, and your recommendation to consider using VM's. Keep up the great work. Thanks again. I love Ubuntu! Dante