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Apologies if this is the wrong group. Having used various Live-CD
Linuxes for a while (each separate LiveCD 'image' stored on disc in
separate filenames and selected via Grub running under DOS), wanted to
take the plunge and install a 'proper' distro, so downloaded Deb ISOs
1 - 5. Started with the automatic installer on ISO 1 but hit two
problems; thought I'd solved the first, but not sure how to solve the
second.

Prob 1: Wanted to install to an existing partition (hdb4 ext2, 8GB),
without overwriting a little data held there, so didn't let the
installer repartition or reformat. It seemed to install fully into
that partition. There are many, many files and directories there
(inspected through a LiveCD). Assuming that's ok, for now.

Prob 2: Didn't let the installer install a new (or overwrite my
existing) Grub setup (just caution - I use Grub under DOS and wasn't
sure the installer would leave that existing arrangement in place).
But, on completion didn't know how to correctly create a Grub menulist
entry for Debian on hdb4 and after looking at the contents of hdb4
guessed at:

title Debian 4 from hdb4 ext2
kernel (hd1,3)/vmlinuz root=/dev/hdb4
initrd (hd1,3)/initrd.img
boot

When selecting this grub entry, Debian does start as far as I can
tell, but only comes up into a Linux prompt, not into a window
manager. (Should it? - I've both Gnome and KDE ISOs and used the
Gnome ISO.) Guessing that apart from anything else my Grub entry is
incorrect, could anyone point me to a reference for what the Grub
entry should be for Debian on hdb4? Though familiar-ish with Grub, I
do not know what a 'proper' Debian boot sequence should be, and I
couldn't see that in the installation notes.

Grateful for any pointers,


______________
regards,
Ron

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:18:32 GMT,
Ronnie <me@privacy.net> wrote:

> When selecting this grub entry, Debian does start as far as I can
> tell, but only comes up into a Linux prompt, not into a window
> manager. (Should it? - I've both Gnome and KDE ISOs and used the
> Gnome ISO.) Guessing that apart from anything else my Grub entry is
> incorrect, could anyone point me to a reference for what the Grub
> entry should be for Debian on hdb4? Though familiar-ish with Grub, I
> do not know what a 'proper' Debian boot sequence should be, and I
> couldn't see that in the installation notes.

If you get to a Linux prompt, then the problem is not with grub.

See what happens if you type "startx".

If you get a message that states the command wasn't found, then you're
probably missing packages, unless you're confusing the grub prompt
with the linux prompt.

If startx works, you may want to try:

sudo aptitude install gdm

If this doesn't help, you'll probably want to post exactly what
appears on your screen.

HTH,

Michael C.
--
mjchappell@verizon.net http://mcsuper5.freeshell.org/

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair.
Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair,
and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we
actually deserve them?" - Marcus Cole

[edit]
>
> sudo aptitude install gdm
>
> If this doesn't help, you'll probably want to post exactly what appears on
> your screen.
>
> HTH,
>
> Michael C.

Michael, does a default install of Debian put the user in the sudoers or
are you thinking of a different distro?

Rodney

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 03:53:10 -0700,
Rodney <me@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> [edit]
> >
> > sudo aptitude install gdm
> >
> > If this doesn't help, you'll probably want to post exactly what appears on
> > your screen.
> >
> > HTH,
> >
> > Michael C.
>
> Michael, does a default install of Debian put the user in the sudoers or
> are you thinking of a different distro?

I don't believe debian does add a user to sudo automatically.
"/etc/sudoers" is pretty well commented. man visudo.

Michael C.
--
mjchappell@verizon.net http://mcsuper5.freeshell.org/

We're from the government, we're here to help.

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:29:42 GMT, "Michael C."
<mjchappell@verizon.net> wrote:

>If you get to a Linux prompt, then the problem is not with grub.
>
I guess that's true - I think I wanted to make sure that it hadn't
needed some extra parameter to initiate the graphical argument. But
your other advice shows that truly, Grub is not my problem.

>See what happens if you type "startx".
>
>If you get a message that states the command wasn't found, then you're
>probably missing packages
That's just what i got. As i did trying mc (midnight commander?) and
minicom.
> unless you're confusing the grub prompt with the linux prompt.
>
No - it's a linux prompt, and I can log in with either a username or
as root. (But I can only reboot from root).

I guess I hadn't really solved the problem of installing to an
existing partition. There is a large directory tree with lib and etc
and mnt and things like that, so something got installed.

I'd like to try again with the CD. I wonder if there's a way to
install that keeps a log of what happens so that I could pinpoint what
is failing?

And thanks for the help, at least I know what's happened, even though
unsure why.


______________
regards,
Ron

On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:29:42 GMT, "Michael C."
<mjchappell@verizon.net> wrote:

>If this doesn't help, you'll probably want to post exactly what
>appears on your screen.

Just retried, selected existing partition, it reformatted the swap and
set off. Gets about 77% through, then fails while 'installing the
base system'. I press alt-F4 and a text screen suggests a failure
setting up initramfs tools, exactly at the point 'console - tools '

This is after it asks me which kernel I want - it pre-selects 2.6 -
486 and, with an AMD Athlon, I accept that because it is presumably
486 compatible. (However, the AltF4 screen says at the point of
failure is trying to build an img(?) for 2.6.18-486 which was another
option on the screen but which I didn't accept.) If there's a way to
get more text detail I'd happily do that, but I am a bit out of my
depth here.

Although it mutters about having to re-install over the existing files
of a previous installation, I sense that there's a more fundamental
problem than just being unable to overwrite a file. Presumably the
installer accretes to itself enough authority to create and overwrite
all the files and directories it needs to?

______________
regards,
Ron

Government satellites recorded Michael C. saying:

>
> I don't believe debian does add a user to sudo automatically.
> "/etc/sudoers" is pretty well commented. man visudo.
>

You are correct as far as Etch is concerned. I edited the file and
added myself - had to logout and in again to make it affective tho'.

I later removed my user from the list 'cause I decided to make my
user have a limited command control but have been too busy to learn
what I need to do to set only a few commands to a user via sudo.
That's an aside ... you are correct tho'.
--
sk8r-365

http://goodbye-microsoft.com/

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:48:19 +0000, Ronnie wrote:

> On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:29:42 GMT, "Michael C." <mjchappell@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>>If this doesn't help, you'll probably want to post exactly what appears
>>on your screen.
>
> Just retried, selected existing partition, it reformatted the swap and set
> off. Gets about 77% through, then fails while 'installing the base
> system'. I press alt-F4 and a text screen suggests a failure setting up
> initramfs tools, exactly at the point 'console - tools '
>
> This is after it asks me which kernel I want - it pre-selects 2.6 - 486
> and, with an AMD Athlon, I accept that because it is presumably 486
> compatible. (However, the AltF4 screen says at the point of failure is
> trying to build an img(?) for 2.6.18-486 which was another option on the
> screen but which I didn't accept.) If there's a way to get more text
> detail I'd happily do that, but I am a bit out of my depth here.
>
> Although it mutters about having to re-install over the existing files of
> a previous installation, I sense that there's a more fundamental problem
> than just being unable to overwrite a file. Presumably the installer
> accretes to itself enough authority to create and overwrite all the files
> and directories it needs to?
>

Ron, it might be worthwhile to just copy the data you want to save
somewhere else and let the installer format the partition, then copy your
data back after the install. You're not running out of room on that
partition during the install are you?

Rodney

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:59:11 -0700, Rodney <me@127.0.0.1> wrote:

>Ron, it might be worthwhile to just copy the data you want to save
>somewhere else and let the installer format the partition, then copy your
>data back after the install. You're not running out of room on that
>partition during the install are you?
>
Plenty of space. I did wonder whether I might have to do that - the
existing data is only about 400MB, so I can put it somewhere. The
upside is that it would remove uncertainty about existing partitions
etc - or flush out some more fundamental installation problem.

My ultimate aim is different. After getting this going on a fairly
biggish desktop with lots of disc space (and getting used to the
process and using real Debian), I want to try the same thing on a
laptop which I use heavily while out of the office. There, I will
have less disc space and less freedom with partitions, so I genuinely
was interested in installing to an existing Ext2 partition AND keeping
(quite a bit of) data. But that's aspirational, for now.

I'll take your suggestion, and thanks for the pointer.

______________
regards,
Ron

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:48:56 +0000, Ronnie wrote:

> On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:59:11 -0700, Rodney <me@127.0.0.1> wrote:
>
>>Ron, it might be worthwhile to just copy the data you want to save
>>somewhere else and let the installer format the partition, then copy your
>>data back after the install. You're not running out of room on that
>>partition during the install are you?
>>
> Plenty of space. I did wonder whether I might have to do that - the
> existing data is only about 400MB, so I can put it somewhere. The upside
> is that it would remove uncertainty about existing partitions etc - or
> flush out some more fundamental installation problem.
>
> My ultimate aim is different. After getting this going on a fairly
> biggish desktop with lots of disc space (and getting used to the process
> and using real Debian), I want to try the same thing on a laptop which I
> use heavily while out of the office. There, I will have less disc space
> and less freedom with partitions, so I genuinely was interested in
> installing to an existing Ext2 partition AND keeping (quite a bit of)
> data. But that's aspirational, for now.
>
> I'll take your suggestion, and thanks for the pointer.
>
> ______________
> regards,
> Ron

I think this is a good reason to keep your data and probably /home also on
a different partition from the one your operating system is on, it gives
you the freedom to muck-with, or even totally muck-up the install, yet
retain the data for when you get things working the way you want. I didn't
start out that way but now I understand why people recommend it and I
now keep home separate. Might also make backing up a bit easier, depending
on your method. You approach the problem similiar to the way I would, test
on something expendable before working on your mission-critical system.
I'm glad if this did help you a tiny bit and I wish you good luck. Let us
know how the install goes with a format.

Rodney