unable to install arch

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 02:19:12

alright so i know there are alot of people who have seen this issue and have already found a way around it however that way is not working for me.

Currently I have a Thinkpad T60 2623 with a 320gb hdd and 1gb ddr2 ram. really nothing special but its enough for what i need at the moment. have been hearing a lot of good things about Arch so wanted to install it and give it a go. This is not the first time that i have run into this issue either. i tried installing Arch onto my desktop sometime last year and still ran into the issue.

so the issue that i am having is that after selecting boot Arch from the menu (while booting from USB) i get the error message

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

no i know that the usual fix is to edit a line in the grub menu by pressing either "e" or "tab" (whichever may be the case) and make the line say initrd /boot/initrd26.img or another i found was /boot/initird26-full.img. i have tried both of these at this point and still nothing. does anyone have any ideas?

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 02:26:17

Perhaps you should be more specific about what you are booting from USB. Is it the .iso or have you completed installing arch?

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 02:30:30

Excuse my first post. Perhaps the problem you are facing is the menu.lst.

Typically, arch linux install includes the ....root=(hd0,0).... in the edit at the archlinux prompt.

Does your grub entry for that item agree?

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 02:30:39

lilsirecho wrote:

Perhaps you should be more specific about what you are booting from USB. Is it the .iso or have you completed installing arch?

i do apologize. it's the ISO of arch. still really rather new to linux in alot of respects. i have also tried booting the default option directly above the boot Arch option and got the same message.

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 02:44:28

Ok. The .iso of arch is entered into a cd or flash device for install.

I assume you have that correctly installed to a flash device with.... dd if= (downloaded file) of=/dev/sd(x).

Thus when you use the flash device to begin the actual install, there are several options listed.

The install program is firstly entered and at the prompt you must enter.../arch/setup and the install sequence will then begin.

I advise reading the beginners guide to appreciate the details and perhaps print it out to have it avauilable.

The key points at the beginning are that there are options for i686 and x86_64 installs.

If you have correctly installed the flash device with the iso file as I outlined above, the usb will have the install options as the first window.

Many users try to install without properly running the dd command for the .iso. There are dual .iso's for i686 or x86_64 and that permits the opening windows selection list. The dd command must be used correctly especially the output file ....of=: this must be the ID of the drive being addressed and not a partition on that drive....sda not sda1 for example.

That mistake is very common for users...even I forget sometimes, but I have an excuse I am 85 for a month longer!!!

So I have probably confused uou...mebbe?

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 02:46:45

alright what i see when i go into the options under default and also boot arch linux are as follows in the same order

default
/ubnkern initrd=/uninit archisolabel=ARCH_201005 Tmpfs_size=75% locale=en_US.UTF-8

Boot Arch Linux
/boot/vmlinuz26 initrd=/boot/archiso.img archisolabel=ARCH_201005 tmpfs_size=75% locale=en_US.UTF-8

these are what i see when i hit tab to get to the options from the menu with the following list from USB

Default
Boot Arch Linux
Booot existing OS
Run Memtest86+
run x86test
reboot

I do apologize if none of this helps. but i do hope it does. if there is something else i should be looking at please have patience with me. still learning alot about all of this.

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 02:52:07

lilsirecho wrote:

Ok. The .iso of arch is entered into a cd or flash device for install.
I assume you have that correctly installed to a flash device with.... dd if= (downloaded file) of=/dev/sd(x).
Thus when you use the flash device to begin the actual install, there are several options listed.
The install program is firstly entered and at the prompt you must enter.../arch/setup and the install sequence will then begin.
I advise reading the beginners guide to appreciate the details and perhaps print it out to have it avauilable.
The key points at the beginning are that there are options for i686 and x86_64 installs.
If you have correctly installed the flash device with the iso file as I outlined above, the usb will have the install options as the first window.
Many users try to install without properly running the dd command for the .iso. There are dual .iso's for i686 or x86_64 and that permits the opening windows selection list. The dd command must be used correctly especially the output file ....of=: this must be the ID of the drive being addressed and not a partition on that drive....sda not sda1 for example.
That mistake is very common for users...even I forget sometimes, but I have an excuse I am 85 for a month longer!!!
So I have probably confused uou...mebbe?

i think i may have found out my mistake!

did not know about "dd" nor do i still. there are many things that i do not know. the previous post from this one lists everything i see when the menu pops up for booting from the usb drive. i used unetbootin to install it to flash drive from the iso for my processor (its i686)after downloading it as a torrent from this site. i think that may have been what went wrong. i've always used unetbooting and never had issues but this might be why maybe? this could take awhile going to look into everything a little more thoroughly. thought it would work from what i had read about installing and was going to grab my old ladies laptop while installing to work on it as i went. sadly i do not have a printer!

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 02:55:20

Please advise the USB device you are using and how you loaded it with the archlinux .iso.

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 03:00:11

lilsirecho wrote:

Please advise the USB device you are using and how you loaded it with the archlinux .iso.

its a 4gb flash drive by HP and i used unetbootin to load the iso img to the drive. working on looking up how to find your flash drive through cmd and get the iso onto it the same way.

tried using the dd cmd as the flash drive apparently is sdb1 so tried it as sdb and got the following msg

-ThinkPad-T60:~$ dd if=archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
dd: opening `archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso': No such file or directory

Last edited by cobaltwolfe (2011-07-05 03:04:01)

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 03:11:05

Very good so far. Now the proper ID for the input file is the full path to that file.

Wherever you placed it in your filing system is the full path source for the .iso.

This might be /root/Desktop/(file name).

That will enable the .iso to be installed to the flash drive , from the terminal with the dd command as you have shown the correct ID for the operation ....sdb.

The .iso file has to be found by the system so the full path to it is imperative. Basic to linux....

ANOKNUSA · 2011-07-05 03:16:35

You're simply not pointing to the correct path of the .iso file. You should be able to grab it by right-clicking on the .iso icon in your file manager and pasting the path into a terminal after "dd if=". Since you haven't used dd much before, know this: it IMMEDIATELY and PERMANENTLY [1] wipes any drive/partition you point it at, so be certain of what you're doing before hitting the "enter" key.

[1] Recovery is possible, but to a limited extent, and it's very tedious.

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 03:17:01

lilsirecho wrote:

Very good so far. Now the proper ID for the input file is the full path to that file.
Wherever you placed it in your filing system is the full path source for the .iso.
This might be /root/Desktop/(file name).
That will enable the .iso to be installed to the flash drive , from the terminal with the dd command as you have shown the correct ID for the operation ....sdb.
The .iso file has to be found by the system so the full path to it is imperative. Basic to linux....

this is kinda new territory for me. i have never actually installed anything through the command line. so what i am gathering and please i hope i'm right is that it should be

dd if=/home/shaman/downloads/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb

lol was wrong guessing i am going to have to change the directory to where the file is to make this work?

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ dd if=/home/shaman/downloads archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
dd: unrecognized operand `archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso'
Try `dd --help' for more information.

also tried the one i originally though with the /between downloads and arch

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ dd if=/home/shaman/downloads/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
dd: opening `/home/shaman/downloads/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso': No such file or directory

Last edited by cobaltwolfe (2011-07-05 03:21:43)

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 03:20:15

It looks peachy keen. After you get to the /arch/setup, follow the beginners guide!

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 03:22:50

lilsirecho wrote:

It looks peachy keen. After you get to the /arch/setup, follow the beginners guide!

lol was wrong guessing i am going to have to change the directory to where the file is to make this work?

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ dd if=/home/shaman/downloads archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
dd: unrecognized operand `archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso'
Try `dd --help' for more information.

also tried the one i originally though with the /between downloads and arch

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ dd if=/home/shaman/downloads/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
dd: opening `/home/shaman/downloads/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso': No such file or directory

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 03:35:23

Perhaps you should go to the .iso file and look for the detail that identifies where you are...that is, home or root and whether it is /home/downloads or /root/downloads.

You haven't as yet set up the right path...I don't know why you use shaman in the path...that seems to be your root ID.

I think you can find the path names from a menu for the system you are using.

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 03:37:55

Perhaps you downloaded the file into the USB device?

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 03:46:04

If you have a ..."find" command or program, it will find the file if you enter it fully in the find command window and search for it.

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 04:16:52

Assuming you get to the /arch/setup, It is important that you use ftp install when asked by the prompts because the download version is very out of date. Ftp will download the latest kernel and core packages and you will avoid having difficulty in upgrading with the kernel and packages in the download itself.

This situation will possibly be corrected within this month but it is not as yet AFAIK.

This is adequately covered in the prompts provided in the setup sequences. It includes selecting a mirror for the install via FTP and a list is provided for you to select one. Use the beginners guide to help.............

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 04:30:55

alright sorry i was away for a little bit. the reason i am using the path /home/shaman/downloads is because that is what it shows when right clicking on the iso file to see the file path. going to give this a few more shots. it might be because i forgot to capitalize the d in Downloads.

i've moved the file to the /home folder and attempted it as follows with the same message.

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ dd if=/home/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
dd: opening `/home/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso': No such file or directory

i know the file exists. but why can the system itself not find it. i'm pointing it directly at the thing and its still saying its not there.

this is another one tried

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ find archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso
archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso

so it finds it. going to try one more thing

still nothing. this is rather confusing as it should be working according to the file path that the file states and the fact that when using the find feature it shows up.

so something is finally happening. i was forgetting to run the command as root. so it ended up having to be as follows

shaman@shaman-ThinkPad-T60:~$ sudo dd if=/home/shaman/archlinux-2010.05-core-i686.iso of=/dev/sdb
[sudo] password for shaman:

Last edited by cobaltwolfe (2011-07-05 04:36:11)

Inxsible · 2011-07-05 04:42:27

cobaltwolfe, you mentioned that you haven't really had experience with command line installations. If you have done the necessary ready about Arch, you know that Arch only has a command line installation. It does not even give you a desktop environment. So maybe you might be better off with a distro which provides GUI for almost everything. Ubuntu and/or Linux Mint might be those distros.

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 04:50:52

Well done and another user failure mode...not in root to run dd.

It takes a while in dd for the couple hundred mb to load into the flash.

You may accept the auto-partitioning provided by the setup options. It is easier than doing the manual steps. Avoids making mistrakes~!

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 05:10:17

Inxsible wrote:

cobaltwolfe, you mentioned that you haven't really had experience with command line installations. If you have done the necessary ready about Arch, you know that Arch only has a command line installation. It does not even give you a desktop environment. So maybe you might be better off with a distro which provides GUI for almost everything. Ubuntu and/or Linux Mint might be those distros.

i have installed things via the command line just not a distrobution. i've been to the point of completely removing gnome from ubuntu and installing lxde through command line. this is going to be a step up for me hopefully and teach me (regardless of issues i may have) what i need to know in order to expand my linux knowledge.

lilsirecho · 2011-07-05 05:17:14

By the way, learning is accomplished only by making mistakes and correcting them. I have 85 years of it.....

ANOKNUSA · 2011-07-05 06:36:37

lilsirecho wrote:

By the way, learning is accomplished only by making mistakes and correcting them. I have 85 years of it.....

Agreed, but this thread has already hit 23 (now 24) posts without the OP even getting the installation media copied, which means the next 45 pages of the Beginner's Guide are going to be a tough slog. @cobaltwolfe: dd is one of the most common utilities, available in every linux distro I've ever come across; it's amply documented in the man page, online, etc. Be forewarned, the Arch community values a DIY approach to things.

cobaltwolfe · 2011-07-05 07:14:06

ANOKNUSA wrote:

lilsirecho wrote:
By the way, learning is accomplished only by making mistakes and correcting them. I have 85 years of it.....
Agreed, but this thread has already hit 23 (now 24) posts without the OP even getting the installation media copied, which means the next 45 pages of the Beginner's Guide are going to be a tough slog. @cobaltwolfe: dd is one of the most common utilities, available in every linux distro I've ever come across; it's amply documented in the man page, online, etc. Be forewarned, the Arch community values a DIY approach to things.

actually it was copied to the flash when i had posted that i had been forgetting to run the command as root. I do not login as SU all the time, and only when necessary to install things. I have no issues doing things as DIY i'm not afraid of messing things up and having to reinstall. (this would be the case in the six attempts to remove gnome and all dependencies.). the first mistake i had done was using unetbootin to load this distro onto the flash drive. Never used DD before because i always used a third party program to install things to flash drives. it was only while looking into both Arch linux and Archbang linux that i started reading about the dd command and even that was pretty sparse except for the installation command

dd if=/arch-xxxx.iso of=/dev/sdx

which does not tell you much right off the bat. and quite honestly i would not have thought to run this command in SU mode because i did not think that writing something to flash drive would require it. as it stands i see this is not the case and will end up looking into to this quite a bit more. I would like to thank the people who responded to my rather inane questions and having the patience to deal with me. still looking forward to actually installing Arch tomorrow after i get out of work.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-07-05 02:19:12

unable to install arch

#2 2011-07-05 02:26:17

Re: unable to install arch

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