Trouble Installing KDE 2011.09 [solved]

[gor-dee]

Hi, I've been using Linux and PCLinuxOS for just over a year now and never had a problem that I haven't been able to sort out myself by searching the forums........until now.
I'm trying to install KDE 2011.09 using a live cd onto an HP dc5700 (intel core duo, 1Gb ram, 160Gb HD)
Computer already has Windows 7 installed and I've used this to create a partition (roughly half) for Linux.
When I boot the live cd it bombs out with:


  Searching for the loop image:
      /dev/sr0
      /dev/sda1
      /dev/sda2
      /dev/sda3
      /dev/sda4
      /dev/sda5
      /dev/sr0
  [DONE]

ERROR: Unable to mount the livecd
    Dropping you to a limited shell.
  Loading /initrd/bin/ash
/initrd/bin/ash: can't access tty; job control turned off


I searched the forums and found.... [SOLVED] ERROR: unable to mount the livecd Dropping you to a limited shell.

 http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,71759.msg589572.html#msg589572

followed the advice i.e. I copied "livecd.sqfs" from the LiveCD to the root of a USB Flash Drive. Now with the flash drive inserted the live cd boots up and runs fine...........But........

when I try to install, Draklive bombs out. I tried from konsole and get:

A bug has been detected in GNU Parted.  Refer to the web site of parted http://www.gnu.org/software/parted/parted.html for more information of what could be useful for bug submitting!  Please email a bug report to bug-parted@gnu.org containing at least the version (2.3) and the following message:  Assertion (head_size <= 63) at dos.c:661 in function probe_partition_for_geom() failed.
Aborted

so I search the forums again and find......... [ solved ] LiveDVD can/will not install - interesting

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,96614.0.html

unfortunately the solution to this problem is to remove the flash drive, but if I do that....it's Catch 22!

I believe the GNU Parted bug has been resolved with version 2.4 but this version is not in the PCLinux repository.

I'm stuck, please help!

P.S. md5sum was good, burn was done on another PC using K3b and data was verified.

[AS]

Hi, I've been using Linux and PCLinuxOS for just over a year now and never had a problem that I haven't been able to sort out myself by searching the forums........until now.
I'm trying to install KDE 2011.09 using a live cd onto an HP dc5700 (intel core duo, 1Gb ram, 160Gb HD)
Computer already has Windows 7 installed and I've used this to create a partition (roughly half) for Linux.
When I boot the live cd it bombs out with:


  Searching for the loop image:
      /dev/sr0
      /dev/sda1
      /dev/sda2
      /dev/sda3
      /dev/sda4
      /dev/sda5
      /dev/sr0
  [DONE]

ERROR: Unable to mount the livecd
    Dropping you to a limited shell.
  Loading /initrd/bin/ash
/initrd/bin/ash: can't access tty; job control turned off


I searched the forums and found.... [SOLVED] ERROR: unable to mount the livecd Dropping you to a limited shell.

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,71759.msg589572.html#msg589572

followed the advice i.e. I copied "livecd.sqfs" from the LiveCD to the root of a USB Flash Drive. Now with the flash drive inserted the live cd boots up and runs fine...........But........

when I try to install, Draklive bombs out. I tried from konsole and get:

Your issue look different from the one in the thread you have found, in that thread you may notice there are no reference to /dev/sr0 (CD/DVD unit) and the o-p fallback by using a USB stick.

In your case, the unit is seen, and IIRC the livecd.sqfs is found, is actually failing to mount that unit.

Did you checked the md5sum of the remastered CD ?
if not, insert the CD, and from a terminal try:
md5sum /dev/sr0

The result should match that one published with the download link: Md5Sum: 6ebf25fc77f71f5f840547d844e93cdc

A bug has been detected in GNU Parted.  Refer to the web site of parted http://www.gnu.org/software/parted/parted.html for more information of what could be useful for bug submitting!  Please email a bug report to bug-parted@gnu.org containing at least the version (2.3) and the following message:  Assertion (head_size <= 63) at dos.c:661 in function probe_partition_for_geom() failed.
Aborted

so I search the forums again and find......... [ solved ] LiveDVD can/will not install - interesting

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,96614.0.html

unfortunately the solution to this problem is to remove the flash drive, but if I do that....it's Catch 22!

I believe the GNU Parted bug has been resolved with version 2.4 but this version is not in the PCLinux repository.

I'm stuck, please help!

P.S. md5sum was good, burn was done on another PC using K3b and data was verified.

That's about parted is a different story, leave that out for now.

AS

[wedgetail]

gor-dee

Welcome to th elusive USB key problem, it is a pain when you get haunted by it  I feel for you. If it has been solved with parted v 2.4 this would be great. I think it has from my experimentation, I am just waiting for as to 'bite' on my last details.

When you have checked as suggestion I would like to know:

  Searching for the loop image:
      /dev/sr0
      /dev/sda1
      /dev/sda2
      /dev/sda3
      /dev/sda4
      /dev/sda5
      /dev/sr0
  [DONE]

ERROR: Unable to mount the livecd
    Dropping you to a limited shell.
  Loading /initrd/bin/ash
/initrd/bin/ash: can't access tty; job control turned off

If you had a USB key connected while you tried to run the liveCD?  I do not mean if you tried to run anything from the USB key just if you had left it connected? 

[gor-dee]

as & wedgetail
thanks for your replies.

I've checked the cd as you suggested and md5sum is correct.

and yes I had the USB stick connected whilst running the livecd, it won't run without it.

Some more information that may be relevant, when I click on the device notifier (running livecd) it shows the usb stick mounted and the livecd unmounted. If I click on the livecd it mounts ok and I can view it with dolphin.
Also, could this be something to do with the formatting of the HD?? Last time I installed PCLinux I started with a clean HD, this time I'm trying to install with Windows already there. Sorry, I'm a long way from being any sort of computer expert but I try!

gor-dee

[AS]

followed the advice i.e. I copied "livecd.sqfs" from the LiveCD to the root of a USB Flash Drive. Now with the flash drive inserted the live cd boots up and runs fine...........But........

What about to create a LiveUSB system, using PClinuxOS-LiveUSB-Creator, and then booting and installing directly from the USB stick ?

[Vortеx]

Computer already has Windows 7 installed and I've used this to create a partition (roughly half) for Linux.

Boys may be problem is here?

gor-dee,
what if you delete that partition and create and format it to ext4 file system - all from PCLOS LiveCD?
After that try installing it.

[gor-dee]

as, I tried the liveUSB and it worked!

Many thanks for your help guys.

[AS]

as, I tried the liveUSB and it worked!

Many thanks for your help guys.

Great! Did you also completed the installation ?

[wedgetail]

gor-dee
Congratulations, enjoy.  If you still have your liveUSB key I am still curious about some details from the use of this USB key.

Assuming you made a successful install to hard disk.  If you can spare the time and try do following using the same USB key, does not matter what you have on it, could be blank for that matter:

1..  run pclinuxos from hard drive
2..  connect your USB key and from a terminal:  dmesg | tail -30 post the result
3..  go to root terminal and do: parted -v to get version number
4..  while in root terminal also:  parted -l that is lower case L
5..  for good measure also:  sfdisk -g

(as I liked your commands so I have 'borrowed' them)

[gor-dee]

wedgetail
here's what I got:

[root@localhost ~]# dmesg | tail -30
usb 3-4: SerialNumber: SDXX16051111042100B5
scsi5 : usb-storage 3-4:1.0
scsi 5:0:0:0: Direct-Access     SanDisk  Cruzer           1100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
sd 5:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg6 type 0
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] 7821312 512-byte logical blocks: (4.00 GB/3.72 GiB)
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
 sdf: sdf1 sdf2 < sdf5 >
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 5:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk
usb 3-4: USB disconnect, address 3
usb 3-4: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 4
usb 3-4: New USB device found, idVendor=0781, idProduct=5530
usb 3-4: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
usb 3-4: Product: Cruzer
usb 3-4: Manufacturer: SanDisk
usb 3-4: SerialNumber: SDXX16051111042100B5
scsi6 : usb-storage 3-4:1.0
scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     SanDisk  Cruzer           1100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg6 type 0
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] 7821312 512-byte logical blocks: (4.00 GB/3.72 GiB)
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
 sdf: sdf1 sdf2 < sdf5 >
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk
[root@localhost ~]# parted -v
bash: parted: command not found
[root@localhost ~]# parted -l
bash: parted: command not found
[root@localhost ~]# sfdisk -g
/dev/sda: 19457 cylinders, 255 heads, 63 sectors/track
/dev/sdf: 969 cylinders, 128 heads, 63 sectors/track
[root@localhost ~]#

not sure why parted is not found, have I done something really dumb?

[wedgetail]

gor-dee
Thanks for details. Well I think I am a bit surprised nor response to parted-l.

I think it means you have not installed parted  
You can try in a terminal:

Code:

[gert@localhost ~]$ rpm -qa parted
parted-2.3-1pclos2010
[gert@localhost ~]$

If that gives no result I don't think you have it installed. I can't tell you if it should have been installed either in KDE as I have experimented so much that I would have installed it anyway.

Try opening Synaptic and search for parted this is another way to see if you have it installed.  

[gor-dee]

wedgetail

parted isn't installed but I checked my old PC and it isn't installed on that either.

[wedgetail]

gor-dee

Appears then that I do have installed this for test.  I just ran KDE liveCD and parted is not available either. I am beaten 

Like you I have often seen the GNU Parted message when trying to install liveCDs to hard disks on my system using the konsole and the command draklive-install (for example if I have two identical hard drives installed, by removing one of them I can happily carry on. I assume it is me that has stuffed something and left it at that when I found a  in removing the hard drive)

The other situation when I have a USB key sitting in the system my install will fail, at present I have identified one particular USB key upsetting the process and can now at will stop the liveCD in its tracks on any of my 3 systems.

1.. if I try to install from GUI it just 'dies' nothing to show.
2.. Installing using draklive-install in root konsole I get the message you have in original post.

..
..
..
You found a bug in GNU Parted! Here's what you have to do:

Don't panic! The bug has most likely not affected any of your data.
Help us to fix this bug by doing the following:

Check whether the bug has already been fixed by checking
the last version of GNU Parted that you can find at:

        http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/parted/

Please check this version prior to bug reporting.

If this has not been fixed yet or if you don't know how to check,
please visit the GNU Parted website:

        http://www.gnu.org/software/parted

for further information.

Your report should contain the version of this release (2.3)
along with the error message below, the output of

        parted DEVICE unit co print unit s print

and the following history of commands you entered.
Also include any additional information about your setup you
consider important.

Assertion (head_size <= 63) at dos.c:661 in function probe_partition_for_geom()
failed.

Aborted
[root@localhost gert]#

Then almost accidentally I discovered that using parted -l was a much quicker way to identify which USB key might not work.
This is the reason I following up on your effort, trying to see if your USB key might be problematic. So far I have found no other indication that there is something wrong with the USB key.

Well I am not smart enough to figure out if draklive-install uses parted I assumed it did because of the message and have as you can see done some test in my own thread and found that a later parted used in the live-boot GParted CD version may solve the problem. 

I will leave you in peace  and thanks for the extra effort.