[syslinux] unable to install Debian using syslinux 4.05

Gene Cumm gene.cumm at gmail.com
Sat Jun 16 20:14:12 PDT 2012


On Sat, Jun 16, 2012 at 9:16 PM, Martin T <m4rtntns at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm trying to install debian-6.0.5-amd64-CD-1.iso from USB
> memory-stick. The problem is, that Debian-Installer is not able to
> "Detect and mount CD-ROM" during the installation process. The USB
> memory-stick is a 2GB model containing MBR and FAT32 file system:
>
> # fdisk -lu /dev/sdb
>
> Disk /dev/sdb: 2013 MB, 2013265920 bytes
> 62 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1022 cylinders, total 3932160 sectors
> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0x4a02df63
>
>   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
> /dev/sdb1   *          62     3928567     1964253    b  W95 FAT32
> # file -s /dev/sdb1
> /dev/sdb1: x86 boot sector, code offset 0x58, OEM-ID "SYSLINUX",
> sectors/cluster 8, Media descriptor 0xf8, heads 62, sectors 3928506
> (volumes > 32 MB) , FAT (32 bit), sectors/FAT 3832, serial number
> 0x4373da42, label: "debian64   "
> #
>
> MBR has code needed for booting(first 440 bytes) and syslinux(4.05) is
> installed to mentioned partition. Syslinux configuration(syslinux.cfg)
> is very simple:
>
> # cat syslinux.cfg
> DEFAULT vmlinuz
> APPEND initrd=initrd.gz iso-scan/filename=/debian-6.0.5-amd64-CD-1.iso
> #
>
> Debian-Installer starts successfully and I'm able to specify locales
> and keyboard layout, but "Detect and mount CD-ROM" fails. If I start

Sounds like you've successfully installed SYSLINUX to your UFD and
it's up to entries in the Syslinux configuration file and layouts
outside of SYSLINUX.

> the ash("Execute a shell" option in Debian-Installer menu) and mount
> memory-stick FAT32 partition to /cdrom using BusyBox mount utility,

I would have mounted the UFD to another directory then done a
loop-mount of the ISO.

> I'm able to pass the "Detect and mount CD-ROM" step, but then I'm
> stuck in "Load installer components from CD". I even copied entire
> content of the debian-6.0.5-amd64-CD-1.iso image to a directory in
> memory-stick and then mounted this directory using the
> Debian-Installer shell, but this didn't help either to pass the "Load

I presume to /cdrom or whatever directory d-i likes?

> installer components from CD" step.
>
> Any ideas how to proceed here? Am I doing something wrong?

Have you considered the Net Installer?  There's two, one around 180MB,
another around 50 MB.

> regards,
> Martin

-- 
-Gene




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