[dundee] Install woes

[Colin Brough]

Any local insights into this one?

Just got my shiny new Dell Inspiron 570, 6Gb RAM,  AMD AMD Phenom II
X4 820 processor, nVidia GeForce GT220 graphics...

First of all had a mental abberation and installed Ubuntu 9.10 32-bit
via CD. Apparently OK (though obviously won't see all the RAM), but
doesn't detect the network card - though it is listed by "lshw" as:

           *-network UNCLAIMED
                description: Ethernet controller
                product: NetLink BCM57788 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe
                vendor: Broadcom Corporation
                physical id: 0
                bus info: pci at 0000:02:00.0
                version: 01
                width: 64 bits
                clock: 33MHz
                capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
                configuration: latency=0
                resources: memory:febf0000-febfffff

More disturbingly, trying to boot ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso from
CD fails: initramfs reports no live file system (this is the full
screen of messages I can see):

    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdc: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdd: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdd: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sde: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sde: No medium found
    stdin: error 0
    stdin: error 0
    stdin: error 0
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdb: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdb: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdc: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdc: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdd: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sdd: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sde: No medium found
    /init: line 1: can't open /dev/sde: No medium found
    stdin: error 0
    stdin: error 0


    BusyBox v1.13.3 (Ubuntu 1:1.13.3-1ubuntu7) built-in shell (ash)
    Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

    (initramfs) Unable to find a medium containing a live file system

So tried ubuntu-9.10-alternate-amd64.iso, and turned the burn speed
down to see whether there was a problem with the CD...

During installation:

 - this also fails to detect the network hardware (Broadcom NetLink
   BCM57788 Gigabit Ethernet)

 - throws an error trying to install busybox-initramfs

	[!!] Install the base system
	Unable to install busybox-initramfs
	An error was returned while trying to install the busybox-initramfs
	package onto the target system.

	Check /var/log/syslog or see virtual console 4 for the details.

   Looking in VC4 what I can see is:

	preseed: locale: Cannot set LC_CTYPE/LC_MESSAGES/LC_ALL... no
		such file or directory
	in-target: E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run
		'sudo dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem
	base-installer: info: kernel linux-generic usable on amd64-k8
	base-installer: info: kernel linux-image-generic usable on amd64-k8
	base-installer: info: kernel linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic usable on
amd64-k8
	base-installer: info: Found kernels 'linux-generic
usable,linux-image-generic,kernel linux-image-2.6.31-14-generic'
	base-installer: info: arch_kernel candidates: (10 listed...)
	base-installer: info: arch_kernel: linux-generic (present)
	base-installer: info: Using kernel 'linux-generic'
	base-installer: info: Setting do_initrd='yes'
	base-installer: info: Setting link_in_boot='no'
	base-installer: info: Available initramfs generator(s): 'initramfs-tools'
	in-target: E: dpkg was interrrupted, you must manually run
		'sudo dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem
	base-installer: error: exiting on error
base-installer/kernel/failed-package-install	

I noted that I had had an earlier warning on VC1:

	[!!] Install the base system
	Debootstrap warning
	Warning: Failure while configuring base packages. This will be
	attempted 5 times.
	<Go Back>                              <Continue>

So I went back and tried again. At the point where the warning appears
I switched over to VC4 and see the following (repeated several times,
presumably 5!):

	debootstrap: Setting up initramfs-tools (0.92bubuntu53) ...
	debootstrap: update-initramfs: defererring update (trigger activated)
	debootstrap:
	debootstrap: Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ...
	debootstrap: update-initramfs: Generating
/boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic
	debootstrap: Cannot find /lib/modules/2.6.31-14-generic
	debootstrap: update-initramfs: failed for
/boot/initrd.img-2.6.31-14-generic
	debootstrap: dpkg: subprocess installed post-installation
		script returned error exit status 1

If I open a shell on another VC and look in /lib/modules (mounted in
tmpfs) there is a zero sized file "2.6.31-14-generic". Nothing in
/target/lib/modules, and a a zero sized file "2.6.31-14-generic" in
/target/lib64/modules... Sigh... My recent installation experiences on
other hardware have all been so good too...


Trying to boot ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso from a USB stick fails
with simple message "boot error" (pressing return at this point goes
to grub and the Ubuntu 9.10 32-bit installation proceeds to boot, so I
suspect this is a BIOS message). Someone on uk.comp.os.linux suggests
trying unetbootin instead of usb-creator, so away to try that...

But any other suggestions *very* gratefully received!!


-- 

Cheers

Colin

Rev Colin Brough
Minister
Fintry Parish Church of Scotland, Dundee
Scottish Charity Number: SC020742

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Colin Brough                             Colin.Brough at blueyonder.co.uk