Arch Linux

Ithilin

Member

Registered: 2008-08-16

Posts: 2

Need help with arch linux install!

Hello, let me start off by telling you about the predicament I'm in at the moment. I've been trying to install arch linux on with a cd-drive that has been failing for a little over a year now, so you can already see where my problem starts!  The cd-drive, however will work with such cd's as Windows, Ubuntu, and Slackware, which I'm happy with. Yet, archlinux doesn't work so much.

And now maybe my solution. I've got a usb cd drive, that I've had laying around that works well, just not well enough for my bios to be able to boot from; which is horrible I know. I've searched the bios for loading a usb cd drive and everything else, including google so I don't think I'm going to get anywhere with that one. Anyways what I'm thinking of doing is that when archlinux is in the terminal right before you type the "/arch/setup" command, I would like to know if there is any command that allows you to change the cd it boots the cd from to go right into the installation. I'm still working on easying my out of the newbie stage of linux at the moment, but I've never run into a command like that, that would help me out. Hopefully there is one though, because I would very much like to archlinux to work, so please respond! Right now I'm running elinks through the terminal right before you type "/arch/setup". Thanks!

loosec

Member

Registered: 2007-03-08

Posts: 134

Re: Need help with arch linux install!

So you get through the boot process just fine then on your old CD drive. The only thing you should have to do after that is to throw your CD into the USB CD drive and proceed with the installation. The installer should then ask you what CD drive you would like to use when you choose install from CD.

Another way to do it would be to switch cd like above and then manually mount your /dev/[your_usb_cd_here] on /src. The installer then has to be pointed to this place as the source of your installation. To find out what your usb cd drive is called you should unplug it, then replug it and run: dmesg

The mount command might also need to be shown that this is a cd so:
mount -t iso9660 /dev/[usb_cd_device_name] /src
should do the trick.

If you really want to learn more of what the installer does (and fail installing a few times) you should also check out the command
/arch/quickinstall

If your Internet connection is up for it, it seems like you could just choose an FTP install instead.
Goodluck!

rooloo

Member

Registered: 2008-07-09

Posts: 218

Re: Need help with arch linux install!

So you get through the boot process just fine then on your old CD drive. The only thing you should have to do after that is to throw your CD into the USB CD drive and proceed with the installation. The installer should then ask you what CD drive you would like to use when you choose install from CD.

Another way to do it would be to switch cd like above and then manually mount your /dev/[your_usb_cd_here] on /src. The installer then has to be pointed to this place as the source of your installation. To find out what your usb cd drive is called you should unplug it, then replug it and run: dmesg

The mount command might also need to be shown that this is a cd so:
mount -t iso9660 /dev/[usb_cd_device_name] /src
should do the trick.

If you really want to learn more of what the installer does (and fail installing a few times) you should also check out the command
/arch/quickinstall

If your Internet connection is up for it, it seems like you could just choose an FTP install instead.
Goodluck!

Once the CD is removed from the drive that it was booted from. the installation will not continue, as the arch install always goes back to the boot drive to continue read the neccessary information for the install. I do not think there is a way to fool the computer into booting from one cd drive and then continueing on with another. To do this you would have to tell the computer that you are switching drives.

If you can boot up the CD kernel and get to where you type in /arch/setup then the next thing I would od is FTP install. That would limit your CD rom drie usage.

There is also a way to install arch from within another distro, EVEN ANOTHER LIVECD! <-- this may be your best bet. Check the wiki, there is tons of information there.

Last edited by rooloo (2008-08-16 12:32:00)

tigrmesh

IRC Op

From: Florida, US

Registered: 2007-12-11

Posts: 794

Re: Need help with arch linux install!

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Cat … _(English)

EDIT:  Welcome to Arch!

Last edited by tigrmesh (2008-08-16 16:27:28)

rooloo

Member

Registered: 2008-07-09

Posts: 218

Re: Need help with arch linux install!

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Cat … _(English)

EDIT:  Welcome to Arch!

did you even try that link? empty page.

this is what I was thinking of using for your problem. http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … her_distro

tigrmesh

IRC Op

From: Florida, US

Registered: 2007-12-11

Posts: 794

Re: Need help with arch linux install!

Sorry.  Needs url tags:  http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Cat … _(English).

hokasch

Member

Registered: 2007-09-23

Posts: 1,461

Re: Need help with arch linux install!

Do you have a working broadband internet connection when installing (cable connection would be unproplematic)?
Then you can try Unetbootin.

edit: hmm, no arch with unetbootin at the moment. they use an old image, which is not working anymore. (due to http://bugs.archlinux.org/task/11151 I guess).

Last edited by hokasch (2008-08-19 18:12:54)