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#1 2011-01-30 05:38:25

jukingeo
Member
Registered: 2011-01-28
Posts: 3

Problems installing Arch to USB drive

Hello All,

I had downloaded the latest .iso for Arch Linux, 2010.05 and I had burned it to a disk.  I then attempted to install Arch (i686 version) to an 8gb Sandisk Pendrive.

During the installation I could tell that all was not right in data-land.   Every so often I would see a error message coming up:

Error:  command could not be executed.

While I do not remember all the messages, I do remember it coming up for "bash", "Perl", and most importantly the "kernel26.img".


When I completed the installation process and rebooted to the USB Pendrive, I get this error message:

root (0,0)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/00bda8d4 ro
[LInux-bzImage, setup 0x3200, size 0x1c8a00]
initrd/kernel26.img

Error 15: File Not Found

I found this to be weird, but then I recalled the error messages during install.   So I proceeded to put the memory stick into my main computer to examine the contents.   I made a rather grave discovery.  Many important folders were empty.   I have dealt with other Linux distributions before, so I kind of know what to expect in certain folders.  But these folders I found empty on the pendrive:

boot, dev, home, mnt, root, opt, proc

Now I don't know if these folders were intentionally made to 'look' blank and may indeed have hidden files in them, but I know that on Ubuntu, I CAN look into these folders and generally there is something in them.

Just for the record, I have tried to repeat the installation about 3 or 4 times using 2 different .iso discs and I get error messages on boot up every time.

I seriously doubt that the .iso images are bad, or my discs, but I am beginning to doubt the ability to install Arch to a Pendrive.

Any assistance would be much appreciative.

Thank You,

Geo

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#2 2011-01-30 06:14:37

karol
Archivist
Registered: 2009-05-06
Posts: 25,440

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

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#3 2011-01-30 18:22:20

jukingeo
Member
Registered: 2011-01-28
Posts: 3

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

Yup, but much of it doesn't make sense to me.  But I will mention what I DID manage to follow.

I did enter the mkinitcpio.conf file and had to add the "usb" designation to the "HOOK" line.  However I was unclear about the "Regenerate the initrd image" part and thus that I didn't do.

I know that I am using uuid's.   Since the menu.lst files and fstab files were important to the process, I examined those.  Here is what I have for fstab file:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid -o value -s UUID' to print the universally unique identifier
# for a device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name
# devices that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    nodev,noexec,nosuid 0       0
# / was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=94cf9fdf-0b19-4acb-9f63-0fc5d9de96b0 /               ext4    errors=remount-ro 0       1
# /home was on /dev/sda7 during installation
UUID=e0c632d1-c31b-4ffa-b2b4-5422eed9c4fb /home           ext4    defaults        0       2
# swap was on /dev/sda8 during installation
UUID=6c941909-2422-4552-a731-a90e476bff4f none            swap    sw              0       0

Noting the first UUID line, it says "errors=remount..." on the end, so I am wondering if there is a problem there.


This is what I have for the menu.lst file for Grub:

# Config file for GRUB - The GNU GRand Unified Bootloader
# /boot/grub/menu.lst

# DEVICE NAME CONVERSIONS 
#
#  Linux           Grub
# -------------------------
#  /dev/fd0        (fd0)
#  /dev/sda        (hd0)
#  /dev/sdb2       (hd1,1)
#  /dev/sda3       (hd0,2)
#

#  FRAMEBUFFER RESOLUTION SETTINGS
#     +-------------------------------------------------+
#          | 640x480    800x600    1024x768   1280x1024
#      ----+--------------------------------------------
#      256 | 0x301=769  0x303=771  0x305=773   0x307=775
#      32K | 0x310=784  0x313=787  0x316=790   0x319=793
#      64K | 0x311=785  0x314=788  0x317=791   0x31A=794
#      16M | 0x312=786  0x315=789  0x318=792   0x31B=795
#     +-------------------------------------------------+
#  for more details and different resolutions see
#  [url]http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB#Framebuffer_Resolution[/url] 

# general configuration:
timeout   5
default   0
color light-blue/black light-cyan/blue

# boot sections follow
# each is implicitly numbered from 0 in the order of appearance below
#
# TIP: If you want a 1024x768 framebuffer, add "vga=773" to your kernel line.
#
#-*

# (0) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux
root   (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/00BD-A8D4 ro
initrd /kernel26.img

# (1) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux Fallback
root   (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/00BD-A8D4 ro
initrd /kernel26-fallback.img

# (2) Windows
#title Windows
#rootnoverify (hd0,0)
#makeactive
#chainloader +1

I did double check the location of the root folder and it IS located at UUID 00BD-A8D4

That is as far as I got in relation to doing my 'homework' on my end.  Thus I will be needing some assistance at this point.

I think it may help to let you in on my intentions for Arch..

What I would like to do is create a repeatable Linux configuration that would allow me to set up MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) on just about any modern machine.  I wanted a gui-less OS (or at least one in which I could turn the gui off after I am done setting it up).   I wanted the OS to be small for both speed and storage purposes, so I don't need a large HD or could even possibly boot/use the OS from the memory stick, or perhaps even install to a solid state HD.

Doing my research on Linux distributions for this task, both Gentoo and Arch came up.  Since I am somewhat still a beginner/novice with Linux in general, I figured that Gentoo would be still too difficult for me.   After my initial readings here on this forum and also the Arch wiki, I felt that Arch would be more suited for my task.

Anyway, I am pretty much stumped at this point and could use some help.

Thank You,

Geo

Last edited by jukingeo (2011-01-31 01:39:23)

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#4 2011-01-30 20:40:26

Inxsible
Forum Fellow
From: Chicago
Registered: 2008-06-09
Posts: 9,183

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

Geo, can you please use [code ] [/code ] tags around your outputs and files that you paste here. Makes it easier to read and does not make the thread too long to scroll.


Forum Rules

There's no such thing as a stupid question, but there sure are a lot of inquisitive idiots !

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#5 2011-02-06 18:56:03

jukingeo
Member
Registered: 2011-01-28
Posts: 3

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

Hello All,

Just checking back.  Thusfar I have been totally unsuccessful in my attempts to install arch on a USB stick.

Apparently (for some reason unknown to me), the installation does log in many errors and I am wondering if this might have to do with the slower write speeds on a USB memory stick as compared to the write speeds of an actual hard drive.

Thus at this point I am curious to hear from those that have successfully managed to install Arch to a USB memory stick and it boots up without any problems.

Thank You,

Geo

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#6 2011-02-07 06:47:11

unilx
Member
From: Fredericton,Canada
Registered: 2009-10-01
Posts: 183

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

You can try cleaning/delete the drive with gparted and then install arch(has worked for me countless times),or you can clean/delete the drive and partition it using gparted.then install again ,when u get to the auto or manual partitioning options choose manual and set one of the primary partitions as bootable and write it to disk

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#7 2011-02-07 13:08:08

Mr.Elendig
#archlinux@freenode channel op
From: The intertubes
Registered: 2004-11-07
Posts: 4,092

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

If you want to run arch from an usb stick, then I highly recomend to take a look at larch.


Evil #archlinux@libera.chat channel op and general support dude.
. files on github, Screenshots, Random pics and the rest

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#8 2011-02-07 20:42:06

unilx
Member
From: Fredericton,Canada
Registered: 2009-10-01
Posts: 183

Re: Problems installing Arch to USB drive

I just installed  arch on my 8GB flash drive after disconnecting my other harddrives and the install went fine..until i tried to boot it and ran into this error

/bin/sh: can't access tty: job control turned off

.
If you try this and run into this error you can try this link which is marked as SOLVED https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=101577 also u might need to make a "super grub disk" cd or usb just in case u run into a grub
error and are unsure how to fix it.

btw I used gparted to clean/delete my flash drive before i started.You problay already know this but I'll mention it anyway /boot has to be on a seperate partition

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