Re: Confusion

[Klaus <klaus.doering999@gmail.com>]

On 08/05/14 08:01, josh wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> When one has a problem with any GNU/Linux distribution and goes to the
> Internet for help, one is always a. assured that there is loads of help
> available and b. directed to a maze of mailing lists where any search
> immediately returns at least a million hits. This is certainly the case
> with Debian.
> 
> Worse, almost every entry in those lists refers to attempting to perform
> some complex technical activity, usually with a root terminal, and is
> studded with abstruse technical terms. Trying to read through even a
> subset of those entries, obtained by severely narrowing the search
> terms, takes hours. And narrowing the terms may just have excluded the
> only relevant entry.
> 
> Look at my latest frustration:
> 
> I have downloaded 'wheezy' and created a CD from the Iso image. When I
> attempt to boot from the CD the screen image comes up, I respond to a
> few options, then the system reports unable to read from the CD - which
> it has, of course, been doing. 
> 
> I have created a second CD - same problem. Downloaded the file again and
> used that to create a third CD - same problem. I have tried these CD's
> on two different machines, one of which faultlessly runs the current
> version of gnewsense and the other puppy linux. Same result.
> 
> This is such an elementary failure that it must be happening to lots of
> people. The CDs are all OK - I can open them, see their contents, unzip
> packages, read any readable files. My CD readers are obviously working
> just fine.
> 
> I have so far spent two days trying to find some reference to this
> problem in your lists.
> 
> Thank you for patiently reading this. My point is that I have a very
> basic problem that must be happening to dozens of other people, yet I am
> finding it impossible to discover the answer. And so must they be.
> 
> Is there any way to find the answers to simple, basic problems without
> becoming immersed in millions of abstruse technical queries by people
> who are doing something other than following the very basic installation
> installation steps given on your own website?
> 
> Am I missing something obvious here?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Josh.
> 
> 
Josh

I understand your frustration. When situations like your current one
arise, and you don't already have lot's of experience with your new OS,
then it's even hard to know the correct terms to search for. Luckily,
life does get easier after a while :-) In a project like Debian, where
there are lots of people speaking different languages at various
technical levels etc. even those terms are not universal. As you've just
found out.

--
The first thing I'd suggest you do is verifying the integrity of the
download file and the burned CDROM. Check the FAQ at
https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/ and search for verification.

I have had issues like yours before with "testing" (!) snapshots. So, I
just now downloaded the current official Wheezy 7.5 amd64 iso, checked
its MD5 sum, and ran the installer in a virtual machine. All fine.
Which iso file did you download, and what hardware do you want to
install it on?
To excluded issues with the burning of CDs, have you tried installing
from a USB stick?

-- 
Klaus