Bug 15848 - installer on memstick isn't self-aware
Summary: installer on memstick isn't self-aware
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: Mageia
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Installer (show other bugs)
Version: Cauldron
Hardware: x86_64 Linux
Priority: Normal minor
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Mageia Bug Squad
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard: M5 RC x86_64 NEEDINFO
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2015-05-05 01:03 CEST by Tony Blackwell
Modified: 2015-05-16 09:32 CEST (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Source RPM:
CVE:
Status comment:


Attachments
report.bug.xz (243.29 KB, application/x-xz)
2015-05-14 12:26 CEST, Tony Blackwell
Details

Description Tony Blackwell 2015-05-05 01:03:56 CEST
Description of problem:
I've just put the classical x86_64 on a memory stick (usually use DVD).  Boots OK for UEFI install, but then doesn't know where it came from to do IPL.  Can't do anything until  it times out, then have to select 'hard disk', then select sdc, then tell it to use '/' and it will IPL.  All this is automatic with DVD.

Clumsy and might baffle a newbie.  Is this easily fixable? 

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):


How reproducible:


Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.


Reproducible: 

Steps to Reproduce:
Tony Blackwell 2015-05-05 01:04:19 CEST

Whiteboard: (none) => M5 RC x86_64

Comment 1 Thierry Vignaud 2015-05-05 06:46:28 CEST
IPL?

CC: (none) => thierry.vignaud

Comment 2 Thomas Backlund 2015-05-05 14:26:21 CEST
Did you choose the menu option that has "...from USB" ?

that passes: "automatic=method:disk" to the installer so it knows it runs from a disk / stick

CC: (none) => tmb

Comment 3 Tony Blackwell 2015-05-14 00:03:29 CEST
No, I didn't - it doesn't seem to exist.
When I boot from memstick in USB, it takes a while, then times out and says "CDROM not found".
my first click on OK
"Please choose the installation method
NFS server
FTP server
HTTP server
CDROM drive
Hard Disk
Load third party modules"

4 down-arrow clicks
press Enter

"Please select the disk containing the copy of M Distrib install source"
2 down-arrow clicks to get to sdc
press Enter

"Please select the partition containing the copy of M (same msg as above)
(sdc1 is the only available entry)

press Enter
"Please enter the directory (or ISO image file) containing the Mageia Distribution install source
Directory or ISO images directory or ISO image_________"

type '/'
Press Enter

highlight jumps to 'OK'

Press Enter again

The program starts loading!!

So, 13 keystrokes later it loads.  This is clumsy compared to the DVD where it happens automatically with no keystrokes at all.
Comment 4 Marja Van Waes 2015-05-14 11:48:18 CEST
I just checked with the same iso (assuming you used the QA pre-final one, since you're a QA tester), the install from USB option is available in the boot menu, and works fine.

How did you put your classical on the memory stick? Is it Fat32 formatted and did you only put the content of the iso on the USB stick?

Did you see F1-F6 at the bottom of the bootloader screen, or were they missing?

Do you mind attaching /root/drakx/report.bug.xz from that install to this bug report?

CC: (none) => marja11
Whiteboard: M5 RC x86_64 => M5 RC x86_64 NEEDINFO

Comment 5 Tony Blackwell 2015-05-14 12:26:00 CEST
Created attachment 6542 [details]
report.bug.xz

attached report.bug.xz
Comment 6 Tony Blackwell 2015-05-14 12:34:42 CEST
No F-anything on bottom line - no bottom line.  On a very high-res screen so shouldn't have been missing from screen overlap (unless this very-high-res screen was doing something odd in an unnaturally low-res mode early in install).

A bit later in the install when it stopped, saying it couldn't find the CDROM, there was a bottom line - stuff about Alt-F1, but nothing re USB and it was too late then anyway.  The presence of _this_ bottom line suggests the boot-screen bottom line was truly missing on my system?

Created the install USB by mounting the QA Classical 86_64 final iso, just copying the files from within the iso across to blank FAT32 formatted stick, as it was for UEFI install.

Thanks for your attention to this.  The report-bug-xz is after about 3 reboots of the installed system.
Comment 7 Marja Van Waes 2015-05-14 14:37:54 CEST
(In reply to Tony Blackwell from comment #6)

> 
> A bit later in the install when it stopped, saying it couldn't find the
> CDROM, there was a bottom line - stuff about Alt-F1, but nothing re USB and
> it was too late then anyway. 

The USB thing can be found in the *first* boot screen, you should have 4 options there (I don't remember the exact names, but this is clear enough): 

install
rescue
install from USB
rescue from USB

It is in this screen that you should have chosen to install from USB

Your stage1.log shows:

* AUTOMATIC: parameter cdrom for method means returning CDROM drive

which is why it failed, it should have been:

* AUTOMATIC: parameter disk for method means returning Hard disk

after which stage 1 would have continued to find your USB-key

If you're sure you do _not_ have the option to install from USB in the initial bootloader screen from the traditional installer DVD, then please make a screenshot and attach it to this bug report

> The presence of _this_ bottom line suggests
> the boot-screen bottom line was truly missing on my system?
> 

If you're EFI booting an iso you should currently not see a bottom line, so there's no F1-F6 or whatever. For me it's an easy way to check whether someone efi-booted an iso or not ;-)
Comment 8 Marja Van Waes 2015-05-14 14:48:34 CEST
(In reply to Thierry Vignaud from comment #1)
> IPL?

maybe "initial program loading", with which he might mean: "load stage2" ?
Comment 9 Tony Blackwell 2015-05-16 08:13:47 CEST
So, if UEFI booting does not show the F1-F6 choice, then I can't follow Thomas's suggestion (comment 2) to tell it that the install is from USB

Yes, by IPL I meant where it finds the install device and loads what I take to be the rest of the install program, with the progress bar showing this as it happens. (so not truly initial program load I guess).

Is the difficulty with the installer finding where it came from related to the subsequent problem where attempts to install further programs from the mem-stick crash?  At present I seem to have a non-update-able system after initial mem-stick installation.  Updates from the web succeed, updates requiring the installation medium fail when this was mem-stick installation on UEFI.  Should I split this off as a separate problem?
Comment 10 Marja Van Waes 2015-05-16 08:38:26 CEST
(In reply to Tony Blackwell from comment #9)
> So, if UEFI booting does not show the F1-F6 choice, then I can't follow
> Thomas's suggestion (comment 2) to tell it that the install is from USB
> 
See

(In reply to Marja van Waes from comment #7)

> 
> The USB thing can be found in the *first* boot screen, you should have 4
> options there (I don't remember the exact names, but this is clear enough): 
> 
> install
> rescue
> install from USB
> rescue from USB
> 
> It is in this screen that you should have chosen to install from USB
> 

Those 4 options is all there is in that screen, they're in the middle of the screen, not at the bottom.

Please try again, and choose the third entry (install from USB or /however/ it is called)

Setting to unconfirmed, because no one else reported that the entry to install from USB was missing

Status: NEW => UNCONFIRMED
Ever confirmed: 1 => 0

Comment 11 Tony Blackwell 2015-05-16 09:32:38 CEST
Problem seemed to be transient low-resolution screen mode switching in this high-resolution display, and what I was seeing as a result.  Eventually got the USB choice.
Apologies for the time/distraction this has caused.  Resolved.

Status: UNCONFIRMED => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => FIXED


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