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[Worked Around] USB Install Demands CD-ROM

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DCTech
Posts: 5
Joined: 2017-02-16 18:51

[Worked Around] USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#1 Post by DCTech »

I'm looking to get a basic Debian system with desktop working on an old PC. I had a 7.8 Wheezy install on it, but the screen started to flicker badly once it started the X server. Might have been about the time the Radeon card stopped working and i switch to the onboard nVidia graphics. I also had an older Slackware (Zenwalk) install going on it, which still worked fine with the Xfce desktop, but i wanted to continue with Debian. I tried a different monitor with the same results. I reinstalled Wheezy from CD thinking it might reconfigure the system for the onboard graphics, but the resulting system had the same flicker. In the process i messed up my Windows and Zenwalk installs on the HD, so have nothing working now.

Without the ability to burn a CD for Jessie, i downloaded and intalled it on a USB stick. At first i went with a recommendation from linux.com to use unetbootin to make the USB from my Windows laptop. The PC ran the installer, but could not detect a CD-ROM. I put the Wheezy disc in and the installer saw it, but crashed when it had a kernel conflict with the older version. I tracked down an old thread in this forum that said unetbootin sucked, so i found the adivce on stackexchange to use win32diskimager to make the disk. There they said to change the .iso file to .img for the utility, though i later saw directions in a Debian FAQ to find the .iso file with a wildcard search, not sure if that could affect the end result.

I have put this rewritten USB stick in and again the install program runs, clear graphics and all, but it still demands to have a CD-ROM to proceed and won't recognize the files on the USB. One of the troubleshooting tips was to use a file that didn't have 'cd' in it, but going to the i386 link for downloads, the only one showing that way is the net boot. I don't want a net boot, i want the basic system on the media to keep and reuse if needed. Googling install media rather than going from the Debian documents i came across this: http://http.us.debian.org/debian/dists/ ... /hd-media/
Is that boot.img.gz the file i want on the USB rather than the cd files i see mostly?
...
OK, decided to go ahead and see for myself. I tried to find the files at the above link on my Windows laptop, but it isn't listed in the Debian documents i am finding. I did come across info for the live install and thought since that was meant for a USB stick it would work. I downloaded as before and installed using win32diskimager and the wildcard search. The USB stick booted into the installer, but the installer again is demanding the CD-ROM be active. I decided to just start the live session and see if it at least cleared up my flicker problem. However the live version fails to start and tells me:
(initramfs) Unable to find a medium containing a live file system
modprobe: module ehci-orion not found in modules.dep

I'll copy the link i found for the HD install by hand since it seems to be hidden from general install documents and try that next, but figured i'd post this up to see if i am pounding my head against the wall with this. If the BIOS can recognize the presence of the USB media and boot the installer, why can't the install program detect it?
Last edited by DCTech on 2017-02-23 22:26, edited 1 time in total.

DCTech
Posts: 5
Joined: 2017-02-16 18:51

Re: USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#2 Post by DCTech »

So the hd iso does try to scan for hard drives instead of cd-rom, but it still fails to find the image. I'd try to manually mount it, but don't know what it is called. Is there anything in the ash shell that would allow me to find this? None of the commands listed ring a bell and crawling through the directories doesn't reveal anything either.

Since all of the install documents talk about using the cd or hybrid iso to do a usb install, i'm guessing that normally works and there is something unusual with my hardware. Something with the bus on the motherboard...?

User avatar
grumpy_geek
Posts: 22
Joined: 2017-01-20 16:03

Re: USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#3 Post by grumpy_geek »

Did you try - with the installer running (!) - to mount the ISO to /cdrom, as hinted here and described there ...?

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debiman
Posts: 3063
Joined: 2013-03-12 07:18

Re: USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#4 Post by debiman »

so basically you're just trying to install debian?
from a bootable usb medium, as is pretty much standard nowadays?

in that case i have only one question:
DCTech wrote:Without the ability to burn a CD for Jessie, i downloaded and intalled it on a USB stick.
how?
not a long description of how you found certain websites, but actual commands executed. and their output.

proper instructions here: https://www.debian.org/CD/faq/#write-usb

PS/offtopic:
i was very close to simply closing this tab when i saw that wall of text.
something i expect to see when i settle down with a novel, but not on a linux forum.
you will get more and better help if you restrict yourself and try to be as precise and concise as possible.
it also helps you to separate out the actual problem and thus understand better what's going on.

DCTech
Posts: 5
Joined: 2017-02-16 18:51

Re: USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#5 Post by DCTech »

The old Debian page was the one i had referred to, tried the instructions given there but never made it past the installer still being unable to see the CD-ROM. I used win32diskimager to copy the hd-media .iso (the live hybrid version worked no different than the cd .iso) to the USB drive but the installer continued to not recognize anything on the usb drive and i could find no name in the files to mount it manually.

I booted back into the Wheezy install using "nomodeset" in grub. This stabilized the video so i could download the Jessie .iso and burn it to CD. I used this to install the updated version. I continue to need nomodeset to work with the nVidia chip on this motherboard, going on with that is another thread...

I am however continuing to have problems mounting devices. Gnome3 would not install properly with this video chipset, so i installed xfce. When i install an audio CD, Thunar creates an icon for it, but clicking on it produces an error that it is not mountable. Same when trying to mount in command line. Playing audio files off of the hard drive produces no sound. Both of these things were working under Wheezy. Too many problems here, not even sure where to begin to address them...

DCTech
Posts: 5
Joined: 2017-02-16 18:51

Re: USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#6 Post by DCTech »

I ended up putting in an ATI graphics card and reinstalling from scratch using the CD-ROM. The install worked fine and the screen holds at full resolution. Jessie was even able to use Gnome3 fully, albeit slowly...

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debiman
Posts: 3063
Joined: 2013-03-12 07:18

Re: USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#7 Post by debiman »

sorry i didn't answer anymore, i haven't logged in her for quite many days.
DCTech wrote:When i install an audio CD, Thunar creates an icon for it, but clicking on it produces an error that it is not mountable. Same when trying to mount in command line.
this is normal.
a cd is not a file system your file manager would recognize.
instead you dhould right-click and choose to open with some media player.
Playing audio files off of the hard drive produces no sound.
do you mean that playing audio files from elsewhere DOES produce sound???

have you already opened a new thread for the no audio thing?

DCTech
Posts: 5
Joined: 2017-02-16 18:51

Re: [Worked Around] USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#8 Post by DCTech »

I meant that the music app starts and shows it is playing, but no sound is produced. The sound system had been working a few days earlier in another install, so i knew it was not the hardware.

After placing a (Radeon) video card in, and installing from scratch with the CD ROM everything works as expected. Not sure what the conflict was with the old hardware, but i am fine with the CD install solution now.

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debiman
Posts: 3063
Joined: 2013-03-12 07:18

Re: [Worked Around] USB Install Demands CD-ROM

#9 Post by debiman »

thank you for sharing your solution.
others will benefit.

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