Arch Linux

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

So hey,

I'm trying to install Arch and when it comes to packages, I install them and all goes well until I try to set the root password and install the boot loader. I get passwd doesn't exist errors and Grub is apparently not installed. I also can't edit rc.conf because it's considered a new file.

Regardless of which ftp I choose, and even if I choose the CD I'm only getting base-devel as a category to choose packages from, which doesn't include grub. I'm not seeing any reference to this in the manual, so where did I go wrong?

Thanks

string

Member

Registered: 2008-11-03

Posts: 286

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

`base` is automatically selected by the installer. It (the installer) asks if you would also like to include various base-devel packages. If you don't select any base-devel items and choose to "install packages", it should go ahead and install base (and only base).

Note: I believe http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Off … tall_Guide is somewhat out of date.

Last edited by string (2008-11-10 20:49:48)

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

`base` is automatically selected by the installer. It (the installer) asks if you would also like to include various base-devel packages. If you don't select any base-devel items and choose to "install packages", it should go ahead and install base (and only base).

Note: I believe http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Off … tall_Guide is somewhat out of date.

Alright so be it, but why isn't it installing passwd, grub and conf files are missing to edit? There aren't any options in the install to choose them.

string

Member

Registered: 2008-11-03

Posts: 286

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

So let me get this straight. You "Select packages", then "Install packages" (yes, even though you don't manually select anything from base-devel you still go ahead and tell the installer to install the packages [makes my tongue twist]), you can see the packages are getting downloaded, installed and there are no errors (you can check this by switching to a certain VC ; I forgot which, exactly, but the installer should let you know of the proper VC to switch to in order to track package installation progress).. and then you get to "Configure system" which is where the problems start?

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

So let me get this straight. You "Select packages", then "Install packages" (yes, even though you don't manually select anything from base-devel you still go ahead and tell the installer to install the packages [makes my tongue twist]), you can see the packages are getting downloaded, installed and there are no errors (you can check this by switching to a certain VC ; I forgot which, exactly, but the installer should let you know of the proper VC to switch to in order to track package installation progress).. and then you get to "Configure system" which is where the problems start?

Yeah, they all install fine and when I get to configure system I can't set the root password because passwd doesn't exist, I can't install or configure grub because it's not installed, and I cant edit any of the conf files like rc.conf because they're empty files.

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

Okay, I just tried it again via FTP and after downloading everything it goes to checking package integrity and fails with

Error: failed to commit transaction (corrupted package) 

file usbutils-0.73-5-x86_64.pkg.tar.gz was corrupted (bad md5 checksum)
file wpa_supplicant-0.5.10-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.gz was corrupted (bad md5 checksum)

Errors occured, no packages were upgraded.

And it ends there, so I'm assuming the real problem is that it never installed anything.

Sever I was using was mirrors.unixheads.org and it failed before off of mirror.cs.vt.edu

Edit: trying to install from the livecd it fails with an error on the first terminal that's lists a bunch of packages and is too long to read. In the output terminal all it says is

::Synchronizing packages databases... core core
local database is up to date

::Synchronizing package databases....
core is up to date
local database is up to date

Going to reboot and purge the partitions and start from scratch with install from the cd.

Last edited by Purple (2008-11-10 22:29:50)

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

Hm, so I wiped out all the partitions and started from the CD, but it fails with more fail to commit transaction (corrupted package) errors.

This time it includes zlib, util linux, udev usbutils, vi, wget, which, wpa supplicant and xfsprogs, all under the banner of bad MD5 Checksum.

This is fairly strange with an install off the live CD isnt it?

Misfit138

Misfit Emeritus

From: USA

Registered: 2006-11-27

Posts: 4,189

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

What version of the installer are you using?
2008.06?

---

Amiga 1000 restomod
IBM PCjr restomod
C=64 restodmod
Sauengard

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

What version of the installer are you using?
2008.06?

Yeah 2008.06 (Overlord) according to the blurb before login. Downloaded it from the torrent on the arch page about a week ago.

Purple

Member

Registered: 2008-11-10

Posts: 8

Re: Install - Missing Grub, passwd etc, only base-devel category available

Okay, I figured that particular liveCD was bad, so I downloaded a new iso from the portafixe.com FTP mirror and installed via the unixheads FTP and we're in business.