Re: Installation failed - and failed again...
On 2013/3/3 3:33 PM, Brian wrote:
On Sun 03 Mar 2013 at 12:29:44 -0500, Mark Filipak wrote:
On 2013/3/3 6:25 AM, Brian wrote:
Ok. You are using USB flash/USB flash drive/USB hard disc/USB drive
interchangeably to refer to the same device? Its good to have that
clarified.
[Snip]
Prior to attempting to install to the USB hard drive, I tried to install to
an 8-GB USB flash drive - that's right: initially there were 2 USB flash
drives. I differentiated between them this way: source: 1-GB USB flash drive
booting Debian Live, target: 8-GB USB flash drive. The reason I switched the
target from an 8-GB USB flash drive to a USB hard drive is that someone said
I couldn't install to a USB flash drive because of the flash structures and
that I should switch to a hard drive because the MBR will be easier to deal
with. I thought that suggestion was bogus, but I went along with it because I
had a spare USB hard drive and because I wanted to move past that roadblock,
even if bogus.
In a previous mail I said:
> You may not realise it but substituting the USB stick you
> initially used for a USB hard disc is the crux of the matter.
ROFL! Now I get it. You don't mean what you wrote above. You mean that the initial target was a flash drive, then I switched the target to a hard drive. That's correct, but that's not what you say above. ...It's a matter of semantics and the use of the preposition "for", but I won't belabor it. What's important is understanding...
First, I *really* appreciate your effort. You've a good heart. I hope I won't disappoint.
Second, Let's just forget about the 8-GB flash drive, okay? Pretend I never mentioned it. What's important is this:
Source: Debian Live+LXDE
Target: USB hard drive
Dbl-clicking the GUI Installer icon on the LXDE desktop ultimately fails at the step where GRUB is installed.
But running the 'Text-mode' installer from the boot menu succeeds.
Now, I think I also did run the GUI installer from the boot menu, and I think it failed also, but that's going to have to wait until I rerun this whole procedure and see what's repeatable. Stay tuned (...or don't).
You replied:
> I did not make a substitution.
What that means is: From the time that I tried to use the GUI installer targeting the hard disk, to the time that I succeeded with the "text-mode" installer targeting the hard disk, I did not make a substitution. You see, what I did before that (the steps targeting the 8-GB flash drive) is not really important or germane to the problem, but to be concise, Yes, indeed Brian you *are* correct. I *did* make a substitution, but that was early in the process and a long time before the bug became manifest. I'm so sorry for the confusion. Kindly accept my apology.
So I attempted to accomodate this information by thinking in terms of a
lack of understanding on my part. It turns out I was correct to begin
with.
Case1 (Unsuccessful)
--------------------
The 8GB drive had previously had Debian Live installed to it. (This is
clearly described in your first post). The target drive would contain
information about an iso9660 filesystem. GRUB is designed not to
install to a drive when it detects an iso9660 filesystem is present on
it. [1]
What you have written above is not correct. I *had* installed Debian
Live+Gnome on the 8-GB USB flash drive *but* I didn't use it. I
installed Debian Live+LXDE on the 1-GB USB flash drive and *used*
*that* as the source. The target *was* going to be the 8-GB USB flash
drive (overwriting the existing Debian Live installed on it), but,
when that didn't work, I switched the target to the USB hard drive as
suggested by someone.
It is 100% correct. From your first post
> 1.1 - Copied the Debian-Gnome Live ISO to an 8-GB USB.
> 6 - Booted Debian-LXDE on 1-GB USB.
> 6.1 - Attempted install to 8-GB USB (overwrite Debian-Gnome already on it).
> 6.2 - Install failed!
Had the USB hard drive been used instead of the 8-GB USB and *exactly*
the same install attempted it too would have failed. The nature or size
of the device being installed to is immaterial, as is whether it is a
text mode or GUI install. The only thing that matters is that the device
has previously had an isohybrid ISO written to it.
Actually, that's not true. The hard drive never had an ISO written to it. It was unpartitioned.
I even provide a way of seeing how GRUB reacts to being put on a device
which has held an isohybrid ISO. You now have a functioning Debian
machine so could follow the procedure given. I cannot say if it will
involve more or less effort than posting a syslog excerpt. :)
[A largish snip. The content appears to be a distraction from the main
issue]
You have told us as much above. The state of the 8GB drive for the text
mode install is different from its initial state.
I was not using the 8-GB USB flash drive.
The state of the USB hard drive for the text mode install was different
from the state of the 8-GB USB flash drive.
Nope. It was identical: Unpartitioned.
Incidentally, it is never a good idea to change more than one variable
at a time in an experiment. It can (as it has in your case) lead to
an invalid or erroneous conclusion.
I did not change variables. Source: 1-GB USB flash drive. Target: USB hard drive.
Initially - Source: 1-GB USB flash drive. Target: 8-GB USB flash drive
with an isohybrid ISO written to it.
At a later time - Source: 1-GB USB flash drive. Target: USB hard drive
which had never had an isohybrid ISO written to it.
A second variable is the install mode. You altered this at the same time
you replaced the 8-GB USB flash drive with a USB hard drive.
For those who wish to reproduce the bug.
----------------------------------------
Write a netinst image to two USB devices. Boot from one device and
install to the second one. Try text and GUI modes. It's about an hour's
work at most.
I could say that what you propose as a regression is not valid, but I'll just say that I'm going to repeat what I did, exactly as I did it, rather than as you write above (which I don't understand anyway).
Ciao - Mark.
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