HDD instal: NOTHING WORKED!!!

Here I go again; 8 months ago, I fiddled around for 6 weeks trying to get a runnable Linux system. I've upgraded to a new machine and am going to punish myself again.

So, I DL Knoppix 3.3, 2003-11/19. I also got two instruction docs that *nearly* the same thing. The message is that this is so simple that nothing can go wrong, so I didn't get the authors of these docs, though one of them was written jun 11 2003, if anyone wants to identify.

I have a completely formatted 7.2 Gb drive just for Linux, hdb1, plus I have a 24 Gb FAT32 partition on the main WIN XP drive (NTFS) so that I can use it as a shared drive. I want no changes to the WIN MBR, so I plan to run Linux from a boot floppy.

Anyhow, I ran the CD and typed knx-hdinstall, just as the doc said (had to su first, not mentioned :-); got
bash: command not found

so, cd /usr/local/bin, then command, same result. OK, let's try the other installer, knoppix-installer. Hey, this thing runs, and automatically brings up qtparted (not cfdisk as the doc sez... maybe cause I used the other installer.

Anyway, qtparted won't let me do a damned thing. If I click on hdb1, Konsole reports "Error: msdos labels do not supportpartition names." I can apparently resize or move a partition, but when i try to do it, the dialog completes, but no action is taken. Also, Konsole reports "Error line 1328. segmentation fault." Oh, back when i hit OK for changing partition sizer, Konsole sez "/dev/hdb1 is being used"

So, first thing in the procedure is completely stuffed. I can't partition or assign a file system. All I can do is quit.

Can anyone tell me what I've done wrong? This is *so* frustrating. I have a Libranet 2.7 CD that is my fall-back, but I'd really like to get knoppix installed. Do I need to get knx-install? I could put it on hda5, the shared FAT32 drive, which seems to be mounted when the system is run from the CD. If so, where do I get it?

This is really *so* frustrating. I *really* do want to run Linux, but it doesn't want me as a user, it seems. If everyone had as much hassle as I have, there would be NO users!!!

Your wisdom is eagerly awaited/The Fader

You have to wait for KDE to fully load, and then press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to go to the main console. Then you can type knoppix-installer (this is the newer script).

thanks, champ.

KDE was fully loaded... I played around with the config and lang for a few minutes before starting the install.

I'm wondering... are you saying that Konsole won't work for the install?

Also, I remember from my first run at Linux that I could get out of the GUI by pushing some keys, maybe with an Fx key in there. Would I be better off suing the CLI? I mean, would I lose any install flexibility? Of course, I could Boot: 2.

tnx/The Fader
a real newbie

You must be in root console, load KDE then CTRL-ALT-F1.
The URL is http://www.freenet.org.nz/misc/knoppix-install.html
that is the old script.
It has worked for me in the past.

Good Luck
Later

OK, Neb,

I'll have a go at it like this install sez. Funny, whdn I do Boot: lang=2, it comes up in German; when I just hit enter, it comes up in English.

Also, mine always comes up in user knoppix, whereas all the install docs say it comes up as root. I have to su to run commands. I've forgotten how to become root. Maybe that's one of the problems I'm having.

Cheers/Fader

OK, got a system running. There were a few uncompress errors on install; I expect that I'll need to find those modules and apt-get after i get internet running.

also in making the boot floppy, I got two errors, but it still boots; errors were shell-init and getcwd...both ended with "could not get current (or some such) directory.

Then, in KDE config, I was looking at the kernel panel and got an error "kernel contains invalid configuration rules".

My question: is this enough trash to make it advisable to get another distro CD and re-install?

Anyone care to tell me if those errors are significant?

Finally, I have a username in the system that I've forgot (ALWAYS write them down immediately, dope!!!) I don't suppose it hurts to leave it in there, but there is likely a command that root can use to list and then remove a user. I have a few Linux command summaries, but none shows this command. I know adduser, but not listuser nor deluser :-)

Thanks for all the tips on getting this thing going.

Fader

You can just use KUser to remove that user. Click the K button and KUser is in the System directory. I doubt any of those errors are anything to worry about.

You're right about not being able to install from Konsole. Also, knoppix-installer is newer and allows you to choose what to call your user and such. There's not really that much difference between the two scripts. But if you re-install sometime, you might try that one.

This does sound rather strange to me.

Two point:

first, boot the CD and at the boot prompt (you see "boot:")

type

knoppix testcd

second, get into the bios and return it to the default settings (in particular, "non plug and play OS").

But I suspect you have a bad burn (or a bad download).