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Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" during

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THX1138b
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Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" during

#1 Post by THX1138b »

I have a Wyse V90L thin client of 2008 vintage. I am trying to install debian-9.1.0-i386-xfce-CD-1.iso from a USB drive and I am having a problem. The problem appears to occur at a stage where the installation software is trying to contact a mirror. The purpose of this contact is unclear but the top of the error message reads [!!] Configure the package manager. It lets me try a plethora of mirrors but I've tried about ten and they all end the same way. There is no feedback given to indicate the stage or nature of the error. It looks like it's trying to access at least seven files. First it says it's accessing the third of three files and then it says it's accessing the sixth of seven files, so really, who the hell knows what it's doing? It even goes 36% to 38% and back to 35% because that's logical?

The error message also states "Downloading a file failed" but I'm not sure I trust the wording enough to say with any confidence that in fact only one (the final; seventh of seven?) file failed.

Image

Have masses of these mirrors gone offline, leaving me to waste time finding one that hasn't? Dead links abound in the world of Linux. :(

There was no problem setting up the network connection automatically via DHCP and there was no problem getting the time from the Internet. The Internet connection is via an ethernet cable to my router.
Last edited by dilberts_left_nut on 2017-09-14 19:36, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: fix stupidly sized image
antiX 16, Wyse V90L thin client with VIA Eden 32-bit 800 MHz CPU and 1 GB 533 MHz DDR2
Raspberry Pi 3 B and 3 B+, both running Raspbian Stretch

We don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.

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GarryRicketson
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#2 Post by GarryRicketson »

Please learn to thumbnail images
Thank you
==== edit ====
I did this one for you
Image
----------------------------------------

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.elchanate.org/el-chanate-foro/download/file.php?id=63&mode=view][img]http://www.elchanate.org/el-chanate-foro/download/file.php?id=63&t=1 [/img][/url] 
=========================
Images for Debian problems, and support

THX1138b
Posts: 35
Joined: 2017-09-12 20:57

Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#3 Post by THX1138b »

GarryRicketson wrote:Please learn to thumbnail images
Thank you
==== edit ====
I did this one for you
Image
----------------------------------------

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.elchanate.org/el-chanate-foro/download/file.php?id=63&mode=view][img]http://www.elchanate.org/el-chanate-foro/download/file.php?id=63&t=1 [/img][/url] 
=========================
Images for Debian problems, and support
Thanks. I made a suggestion that the forum does this automatically. Automation will free humanity from every burden eventually.
antiX 16, Wyse V90L thin client with VIA Eden 32-bit 800 MHz CPU and 1 GB 533 MHz DDR2
Raspberry Pi 3 B and 3 B+, both running Raspbian Stretch

We don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#4 Post by Segfault »

Can't you switch to the next console and check if DNS is working properly? Look at dmesg if there is anything wrong with storage.

THX1138b
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#5 Post by THX1138b »

Segfault wrote:Can't you switch to the next console and check if DNS is working properly? Look at dmesg if there is anything wrong with storage.
Thanks for your response. Do you know the keyboard shortcut to switch to the console? None of the suggestions I find online are working.

My friend tricked me into pressing Alt + F4! which I suppose has screwed this particular effort to install using the installer but it did reveal the following information. It did not permit me to use dmesg (it didn't respond).

I'm still figuring out how to thumbnail this image. Please bear with me.

Image
antiX 16, Wyse V90L thin client with VIA Eden 32-bit 800 MHz CPU and 1 GB 533 MHz DDR2
Raspberry Pi 3 B and 3 B+, both running Raspbian Stretch

We don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#6 Post by Segfault »

Alt + arrow left/right
or Alt + Fn where n is the number of console (provided by init system)

THX1138b
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#7 Post by THX1138b »

Segfault wrote:Alt + arrow left/right
or Alt + Fn where n is the number of console (provided by init system)
Thanks.

Based on the code in the above screenshot, I'm thinking that the 512 MB flash memory is not sufficient. I might have to try Puppy or maybe install a flash drive attached to the internal USB header to install Debian (more likely because Puppy installer hasn't even booted from USB in previous attempts).
antiX 16, Wyse V90L thin client with VIA Eden 32-bit 800 MHz CPU and 1 GB 533 MHz DDR2
Raspberry Pi 3 B and 3 B+, both running Raspbian Stretch

We don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#8 Post by stevepusser »

Maybe try something like antiX if the RAM is that low. You can install from the Live session.
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#9 Post by Segfault »

With 512 MB of storage I would not create any swap space. Another option is to spread the install over DOM and USB. Do you need a GUI? Or just command line.

THX1138b
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#10 Post by THX1138b »

Segfault wrote:With 512 MB of storage I would not create any swap space. Another option is to spread the install over DOM and USB. Do you need a GUI? Or just command line.
I couldn't even create a swap space; I did try but just wasn't given the option to create a second partition on the DOM even though I tried leaving space to do so (I subsequently recreated my partition to use all the space).

I really don't want to use just a command line! Setting up a system on Linux is hard enough with a GUI!

antiX apparently needs 2.7 GB disk space so it's not particularly light in that respect!

How do I spread the install over the DOM and USB? I don't recall seeing any option like that during the partitioning stage.
antiX 16, Wyse V90L thin client with VIA Eden 32-bit 800 MHz CPU and 1 GB 533 MHz DDR2
Raspberry Pi 3 B and 3 B+, both running Raspbian Stretch

We don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#11 Post by Segfault »

I've never used GUI installer, thus cannot tell what it can do and what it cannot do.
Basically, you need custom partitioning and mount points. You could put /var/cache/apt/ to USB (this is where the deb files go). You could also put /usr/ on USB, although it may not play well with systemd. I do not use systemd myself, but I think I read somewhere they broke Linux conventions and put something needed for boot to /usr/. If /usr/ is not mounted when init runs the boot will fail. This is uncharted land for me. You may be better off using DOM merely for /boot/ and put root to USB.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#12 Post by debiman »

OP still hasn't edited their first post to replace the image.
that's just ridiculous.
i can see the carpet and the garden.

fwiw, i think the forum software should simply reject images beyond a certain filesize.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#13 Post by stevepusser »

Oh, goofed with the antiX suggestion. I thought that was 512 MB RAM, not storage! You have an interesting road ahead of you.
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#14 Post by Segfault »

debiman wrote:OP still hasn't edited their first post to replace the image.
that's just ridiculous.
i can see the carpet and the garden.

fwiw, i think the forum software should simply reject images beyond a certain filesize.
Images suck. But in this case there is nothing to see, installer got stuck with bogus download error message. In actuality the drive was full.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#15 Post by Segfault »

I just learned there is a distro that may fit your 512 MB DOM, it is allegedly under 400 MB. Vuu-Do

THX1138b
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#16 Post by THX1138b »

I've put my 32 GB flash drive inside the thin client (after soldering myself an adapter to connect it to one of the internal headers). I've installed antiX onto this flash drive and it uses less than 100 MB RAM after booting (but more when I start doing anything). Maybe I can use the 512 MB DOM as the /swap space. My problem now, as I figured it might be, is getting Bluetooth to work. I guess I'll make a new thread since it doesn't fit this one. Thanks again for everyone's help and advice.
antiX 16, Wyse V90L thin client with VIA Eden 32-bit 800 MHz CPU and 1 GB 533 MHz DDR2
Raspberry Pi 3 B and 3 B+, both running Raspbian Stretch

We don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.

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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#17 Post by stevepusser »

I have heard that using flash media for swap space has a disturbing tendency to wear it out extremely quickly, especially older media. Modern SSD drives have a much extended wear lifetime, but it is still finite..
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Re: Error during installation "Downloading a file failed" du

#18 Post by Segfault »

This computer probably does not need any swap. Running one task only.

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