Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

zSpider86 · 2014-03-01 00:55:57

Greetings ArchLinux Forums,

I'll cut you lose on the introduction, and just get straight to the point. Basically, I am installing Arch Linux using the archiso tutorial. The laptop that I am installing it on has had no prior installations of Linux on it. It is coming from FreeBSD, nonetheless. When I boot my usb I enter cfdisk, finish the formatting of the tables... okay now I want to get on with the installation, so obviously after making the file system and all that prior stuff. I need to update the basic get-packages for pacman to run so that I can install the rest of apps and firmware needed to properly run Arch.

Okay so when I type... pacstrap /mnt base base-devel ... to get the basic packages I get a huuuge amount of errors, and everyone knows why.. I am installing it from scratch so I don't have any internet on the linux side yet since I need to get my drivers set up (as usual after I install linux). Okay, so you might say that I need to plug in my ethernet to initiate eth0 or whatever, but this will obviously not do anything since I don't have dhcp or eth0 running yet because they weren't even installed yet. Okay so I did some googling on duckduckgo and I came across the possible solution of https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Of … f_Packages -- but even if I were to install these packages, would my system even detect the usb that I put in? Since of course, I possibly don't even have the usb drivers yet, such that when I tried connecting it through my phone, it didn't detect my android device through usb either.

This is very frustrating, this is the second time I have tried to install arch in my life. The first time was 2 years back at which point I just gave up and sticked to debian like I have since I was 6 years old... although, I really really want to get it going because I would like to innovate my brighter side 'closer to the os', obviously not as close as gentoo, but who knows. I'm a C/ASM programmer (as a hobby), so this systems stuff is really intriguing to me. I just sent in my old laptop for a tune up so I am stuck with this other one that I had with freebsd on it, I got the iso going and everything, but how would I go about resuming? I have the laptop to the right of me right now, so I can quickly interact with it based on the responses I get here, and send you back the responses that the machine sends to me

I greatly appreciate any help I might, or might not get, but anyways, thanks a bunch!

Cheers,
~ zSpider86

karol · 2014-03-01 01:09:04

I'm not sure I understand.
What happens if you do plug your ethernet cable in before starting the installation? What drivers are you lacking?

zSpider86 · 2014-03-01 02:18:36

So you mean if I plug in my ethernet cord before I even boot into the installation?

karol · 2014-03-01 02:20:56

Connect your computer to the internet and boot the install iso.

Trilby · 2014-03-01 02:28:17

All you should need to connect is included in the iso - except for some extremely rare exceptions for particular hardware. The commands to connect are provided in the beginner's guide. The following however makes me think you are not using that:

zSpider86 wrote:

Basically, I am installing Arch Linux using the archiso tutorial.

Which tutorial are you trying to follow?

DaveCode · 2014-03-01 03:25:31

You may find Bridge Linux simpler. It will install a stock Arch desktop using any DE you please straight from the CD. It was designed exactly to help people install Arch more quickly.

jasonwryan · 2014-03-01 03:29:20

DaveCode wrote:

You may find Bridge Linux simpler. It will install a stock Arch desktop using any DE you please straight from the CD. It was designed exactly to help people install Arch more quickly.

Don't do that. It will give the impression that Bridge is supported here and it is not.

ewaller · 2014-03-01 03:29:52

DaveCode wrote:

You may find Bridge Linux simpler. It will install a stock Arch desktop using any DE you please straight from the CD. It was designed exactly to help people install Arch more quickly.

On the other hand, you might not want to do that. Bridge is a fine distribution, but it is not Arch -- despite assertions to the contrary. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … pport_ONLY

zSpider86 · 2014-03-01 04:11:38

Thats the problem. I can't connect to the internet. I plugged my ethernet cord into the laptop and started it again, then when I go ... pacman -syu it says "failed to retrieve ... website" I don't have internet connection. How would I fix it? If possible at all.

Scimmia · 2014-03-01 04:19:07

The beginner's guide has a section on establishing an internet connection. You haven't told us anything that you've tried or even what card you're using.

Trilby · 2014-03-01 11:42:55

1)

Trilby wrote:

Which tutorial are you trying to follow?

2) Where in the installation process are you? At no point in the installation do you run `pacman -Syu` (and certainly not `pacman -syu`) This is only done post-install once you are in your fully installed system.

3) If this is post-install, what steps have you followed to try to connect to your ethernet? The steps you should take are all described in the beginner's guide and articles linked within it.

Overall) you need to respond to questions posed to you and be more forthcoming with information about what is actually going on or no one will be able to help you.

Last edited by Trilby (2014-03-01 11:55:32)

progandy · 2014-03-01 11:54:41

What did you do in FreeBSD to connect to the internet? Chances are, that you have to perform similar steps after booting the arch installation. Only for ethernet with dhcp you shouldn't have to do anything.

Last edited by progandy (2014-03-01 11:55:48)

graysky · 2014-03-01 13:14:42

Boot to a live cd and run

lspci -v | less

Now scroll down to the section where your Ethernet hardware is detailed. Type the first few lines of that section.

ilkyest · 2014-03-05 19:12:47

Thats the problem. I can't connect to the internet. I plugged my ethernet cord into the laptop and started it again, then when I go ... pacman -syu it says "failed to retrieve ... website" I don't have internet connection. How would I fix it? If possible at all.

Oooops.....

The beginner's guide has a section on establishing an internet connection. You haven't told us anything that you've tried or even what card you're using.

Exactly. By default arch don't turns on your connection. You should do it.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … connection

Arch Linux

#1 2014-03-01 00:55:57

Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#2 2014-03-01 01:09:04

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#3 2014-03-01 02:18:36

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#4 2014-03-01 02:20:56

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#5 2014-03-01 02:28:17

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#6 2014-03-01 03:25:31

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#7 2014-03-01 03:29:20

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#8 2014-03-01 03:29:52

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#9 2014-03-01 04:11:38

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#10 2014-03-01 04:19:07

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#11 2014-03-01 11:42:55

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#12 2014-03-01 11:54:41

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#13 2014-03-01 13:14:42

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

#14 2014-03-05 19:12:47

Re: Sadness: Installing Arch Linux Without Internet

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