I'm trying to download the first CD using jigdo-lite on Windows. I
followed the instructions exactly as specified on Debian's site
(http://www.debian.org/CD/jigdo-cd/), but jigdo ended with:

>>>

1 files not found in previous pass, trying
alternative download locations:

wget: BUG: unknown command `timeout', value `30'.
--01:14:55-- http://gluck.debian.org/cdimage/testing/jigdo-
area/i386/snapshot/p
ool/main/k/kernel-image-2.4.22-i386-udeb/serial-modules-2.4.22-1-386-
udeb_2.4.22
-2_i386.udeb
=> `sarge-i386-
1.iso.tmpdir/gluck.debian.org/cdimage/testing/jigdo-ar
ea/i386/snapshot/pool/main/k/kernel-image-2.4.22-i386-udeb/serial-
modules-2.4.22
-1-386-udeb_2.4.22-2_i386.udeb'
Resolving gluck.debian.org... done.
Connecting to gluck.debian.org[192.25.206.10]:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 404 Not Found
01:14:55 ERROR 404: Not Found.

Skipping object `sarge-i386-1.iso.tmpdir' (No such file or directory)
Found 0 of the 1 files required by the template
Copied input files to temporary file `sarge-i386-1.iso.tmp' - repeat
command and
supply more files to continue

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aaargh - 1 files could not be downloaded. This should not
happen! Depending on the problem, it may help to retry downloading
the missing files.
Also, you could try changing to another Debian or Non-US server,
in case the one you used is out of sync.

However, if all the files downloaded without errors and you
still get this message, it means that the files changed on the
server, so the image cannot be generated.
As a last resort, you could try to complete the CD image download
by fetching the remaining data with rsync.

Press Return to retry downloading the missing files.
Press Ctrl-C to abort. (If you re-run jigdo-lite later, it will
resume from here, the downloaded data is not lost if you press
Ctrl-C now.)

>>>

Now I have a 648,608-KB file called "sarge-i386-1.iso.tmp". I tried some
other locations like ftp.uk.debian.org/debian, but to no avail. To my
knowledge, I don't think it's possible to simply download the latest
ISO. Please help, and thanks in advance!

Try a network install:

http://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst

Installing Debian GNU/Linux via the Internet


If you have a permanent connection to the Internet, you can install Debian
using that. You would initially download only a small portion of Debian
required to start the installation process, and then install whatever else
you want from within the installation program.


This sort of network installation process requires either an analogue PPP
dialup connection to your Internet provider, or Internet access via
Ethernet (possibly using a PCMCIA card in your laptop). Unfortunately, it
does not support internal ISDN cards.


There are two options for installs over the network:

Minimal CD: Instead of getting a full 650MB CD image, you just download a CD
image file which contains the bare essentials necessary to install the
rest. For the moment, it's necessary to have access to a CD recorder in
order to use this.
Floppy disks: You download a couple of floppy disk images (files the size of
a floppy disk), write them to floppy disks, and then start the installation
by booting from the those diskettes.

OvErboRed wrote:

> I'm trying to download the first CD using jigdo-lite on Windows. I
> followed the instructions exactly as specified on Debian's site
> (http://www.debian.org/CD/jigdo-cd/), but jigdo ended with:
>
>>>>
>
> 1 files not found in previous pass, trying
> alternative download locations:
>
> wget: BUG: unknown command `timeout', value `30'.
> --01:14:55-- http://gluck.debian.org/cdimage/testing/jigdo-
> area/i386/snapshot/p
> ool/main/k/kernel-image-2.4.22-i386-udeb/serial-modules-2.4.22-1-386-
> udeb_2.4.22
> -2_i386.udeb
> => `sarge-i386-
> 1.iso.tmpdir/gluck.debian.org/cdimage/testing/jigdo-ar
> ea/i386/snapshot/pool/main/k/kernel-image-2.4.22-i386-udeb/serial-
> modules-2.4.22
> -1-386-udeb_2.4.22-2_i386.udeb'
> Resolving gluck.debian.org... done.
> Connecting to gluck.debian.org[192.25.206.10]:80... connected.
> HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 404 Not Found
> 01:14:55 ERROR 404: Not Found.
>
> Skipping object `sarge-i386-1.iso.tmpdir' (No such file or directory)
> Found 0 of the 1 files required by the template
> Copied input files to temporary file `sarge-i386-1.iso.tmp' - repeat
> command and
> supply more files to continue
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Aaargh - 1 files could not be downloaded. This should not
> happen! Depending on the problem, it may help to retry downloading
> the missing files.
> Also, you could try changing to another Debian or Non-US server,
> in case the one you used is out of sync.
>
> However, if all the files downloaded without errors and you
> still get this message, it means that the files changed on the
> server, so the image cannot be generated.
> As a last resort, you could try to complete the CD image download
> by fetching the remaining data with rsync.
>
> Press Return to retry downloading the missing files.
> Press Ctrl-C to abort. (If you re-run jigdo-lite later, it will
> resume from here, the downloaded data is not lost if you press
> Ctrl-C now.)
>
>>>>
>
> Now I have a 648,608-KB file called "sarge-i386-1.iso.tmp". I tried some
> other locations like ftp.uk.debian.org/debian, but to no avail. To my
> knowledge, I don't think it's possible to simply download the latest
> ISO. Please help, and thanks in advance!

Hi, and thanks for your reply. The reason I would like to run testing is
because I hear that stable is out-of-date, and I am just running this as a
desktop system (not a mission-critical server).

I just tried netinst, actually. The whole things freezes right after I hit
Finish on the screen that lets me mount my partitions. (I've let it sit
there for a while, and all I have is a blue screen and a little gray bar at
the bottom where I can enter text that is ignored.) I'm running everything
in VMware, so I don't think exotic hardware's an issue. Also, from
http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/:

"The installer is still under development, so the installation may fail."

Anyway, I also managed to get the first ISO of the complete installation
set (I simply repeated everything from another computer, and it worked).
However, this time another problem came up, right after I selected my
language:

"Failed to retrieve installer module: Retrieving the module file-retriever
failed for unknown reasons. Aborting."

This has been a bit discouraging. Furthermore I have read on various
message boards/newsgroups that Debian's installer is buggy. Some have
recommended installing an earlier version of the software (woody), and then
upgrade from there. Unless anybody knows what might be causing the above
problems, this looks like my only option. However, I have some related
questions:

- How "clean" is it to upgrade the distro? (e.g., Windows upgrades are
really messy/problematic, so I always do clean reinstalls.)
- Is it possible to move from stable to testing and vice-versa once the
system is installed? (i.e., would the process be similar to that of
upgrading the distro?)

In the meantime I will repeat everything I've tried so far. Thanks.

R S Prigan <rprigan@insight.rr.com> wrote in
news:z6gkb.70507$sd5.11961694@twister.columbus.rr. com:

> Try a network install:
>
> http://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst
>
> Installing Debian GNU/Linux via the Internet
>
>
> If you have a permanent connection to the Internet, you can install
> Debian using that. You would initially download only a small portion
> of Debian required to start the installation process, and then install
> whatever else you want from within the installation program.
>
>
> This sort of network installation process requires either an analogue
> PPP dialup connection to your Internet provider, or Internet access
> via Ethernet (possibly using a PCMCIA card in your laptop).
> Unfortunately, it does not support internal ISDN cards.
>
>
> There are two options for installs over the network:
>
> Minimal CD: Instead of getting a full 650MB CD image, you just
> download a CD image file which contains the bare essentials necessary
> to install the rest. For the moment, it's necessary to have access to
> a CD recorder in order to use this.
> Floppy disks: You download a couple of floppy disk images (files the
> size of a floppy disk), write them to floppy disks, and then start the
> installation by booting from the those diskettes.
>

OvErboRed <overboredNO@spamoverbored.net> wrote:
> Hi, and thanks for your reply. The reason I would like to run testing is
> because I hear that stable is out-of-date,

Out of date is good - it means "stable". Stable means out-of-date. Etc.
It doesn't change (is stable), so must be outof date! There's nothing
wrong with that - on the contrary, it's good. New is bad. New is buggy.

> and I am just running this as a
> desktop system (not a mission-critical server).

Not a reason. I am running slackware 3.0 on my desktop.

> I just tried netinst, actually.

You don't install testiong - you install stable and use apt-get to
upgrade to testing.

> "The installer is still under development, so the installation may fail."

There you are.

> Anyway, I also managed to get the first ISO of the complete installation
> set (I simply repeated everything from another computer, and it worked).

Why? Isos are not a good way to install on computers if you have a
network! This is an msdosism that only ever made sense for people
without real network connectivity. It never makes sense if you have to
download an iso over the net, since you get too much. A barebones
install plus network upgrade via apt-get will be dozens of times more
efficient.

Please do not top post!

Peter