[SOLVED] trying to install from live xfce usb

[pcbsd64]

ls

Code: Select all

(memdisk) (hd0) (hd0,msdos1) (hd1) (hd1,msdos3) (hd1,msdos2) (hd1,msdos1) (fd0)

ls (hd0)

Code: Select all

bad filename

ls (hd0)/

Code: Select all

//README-UsbInstall boot/ /packages salix-xfce-64.live salixlive/

ls (hd0)/boot/grub/i386-pc
the contents of that folder. too many to list

ls (hd0)/boot/grub/grub.cfg

Code: Select all

not a directory

echo $root

Code: Select all

hd0

echo $prefix

Code: Select all

(hd0)//boot/grub/i386-pc

configfile (hd0)/boot/grub/grub.cfg
screen blanked, then new grub> prompt

[pcbsd64]

ls (hd0)/

Code: Select all

//README-UsbInstall boot/ /packages salix-xfce-64.live salixlive/

l

I don't see syslinux.cfg or ldlinux.sys in the ls. Is that a problem?

[Tim CowChip]

Just for a sanity check I downloaded and created a live usb from the slackellive-kde-4.8.2-64.iso.
It booted.

The point is they're both using SaLT and are completely identical except for the package selection to my knowledge. But the boot process does not leave the identical part. So maybe something went wrong during extracing or installing the Xfce Live edition on the usb?

Could we make one good installation usb stick from extracting the slackellive-kde-4.8.2-64.iso. and replacing the packages folder and *.live file.

I am using my original member name, Tim CowChip, now. I re-registered as pcbsd64 from the live XFCE usb stick when I couldn't remember my login info and needed help installing.

[Shador]

Yes, there seems something quite wrong here:

(hd0) (hd0,msdos1)

You've got a whole disk partition spanning hd0/sdb without partition table. On the other hand you have a msdos partition table with one vfat partition hd0,msdos1/sdb1. All on the same backing storage, possibly just different views on the same partition, but definitely wrong.
This gives you:

Code: Select all

| MBR | gap ... | vfat fs ........ |
| vfat fs ........................ |


It's amazing how many such broken partition tables are out there especially on USB devices. And not even just small issues which some tools works with and the other not.

And that file definitely should be there:

ls (hd0)/boot/grub/grub.cfg

As I believe you extracted the iso image properly, it probably is lost/invisible due to the weird previous phenomenon.

I suggest to do the following to get rid of the mess (overwrites the first 4096 sectors, BACKUP your data!):

Code: Select all

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=512 count=4096

Then recreate the partition table and add one fat32 partition with gparted (as long as it creates a proper partmap) but any other tool should be fine too.

[Tim CowChip]

I suggest to do the following to get rid of the mess (overwrites the first 4096 sectors, BACKUP your data!):

Code: Select all

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=512 count=4096

Then recreate the partition table and add one fat32 partition with gparted (as long as it creates a proper partmap) but any other tool should be fine too.

That fixed my usb stick. After creating a new partion table and fat32 partition, I was able to extract the iso, install syslinux and grub and boot from it to a live Salix-XFCE desktop, where the installer ran when I clicked on its icon.

I have used that usb stick to install many distros among them FreeBSD, OpenSolaris, Haiku and Slackware, using the "dd" command, unetbootin and countless other distro specific installation procedures. It is no wonder to me that I broke its partition table.

Thank you for helping my fix it and for all your patience while guiding me through the diagnosis.

[Adys]

Just for general information,

I know this topic is marked as [solved], but there were several mentions about unetbootin not supporting Salix LIVE ISOs. The recently released unetbootin 575 seems to add support to Salix "latest live" (probably based on the patch from JRD).

Now, "add support" may mean that different possible steps are successful, but maybe not all of them :

1_ It downloads the ISO;
2_ It "burns the UFD";
3_ The UFD boots;
4_ The LIVE system starts;
5_ Each and every feature of Salix LIVE works (including maybe the LIVE installer of Salix onto a HDD)

To be clear, I haven't tested it yet; I'm just posting the news.

[JRD]

Yes I confirm, this version of Unetbootin includes support for SaLT and so, can be used to create USB disk.
You can even use the persistence. It's marked "Ubuntu only" but it works with SaLT too...so with Salix.