Console repeat-hangs during Woody base-install
 

Hey all

I installed Woody on my laptop (HP Omnibook 600/32MB RAM/4GB HD + D-Link DFE-650 PCMCIA NIC card) via network installation. I downloaded the bootdisk images, wrote them on disks, went through the boot process and got to the base-install stage.

I gave the time zone (GMT/Helsinki), root passwords, added a regular user etc and when the install was due to go on further, the terminal I'm working on, starts repeating the following text:

Loading /etc/console/boottime.kmap.gz

debconf: DbDriver "configdb" error: /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process
base-config: 15tzconfig exited with return code 1
Global symbol "$WERSION_STRING" requires explicit package name at /usr/share/perl/5.6.1/Getopt/Long.pm line 39.
BEGIN not safe after errors--compilation aborted at /usr/share/perl/5.6.1/Getopt/Long.pm line 41.
Compilation failed in require at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Config.pm line 72.
base-config: 20passwd exited with return code 255
debconf: DbDriver "configdb" error: /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process
base-config: 30pon exited with return code 1
Replacing available packages info, using /var/cache/apt//available.
Information about 0 package(s) was updated.

And the aforelisted stuff just keeps on repeating. The terminal locks up so that CTRL-C or CTRL-Break won't work. If I "kill -9 -1" the processes on another terminal, they just start again.

I am able to open two other virtual terminals.

If I run /usr/sbin/base-config, the same errors as described above just appear again and yet another terminal is locked.

If I reboot the computer, the same problem appears even before the login prompt appears. I tried checking dmesg and /var/log/messages but couldn't find anything of importance.

It seems there is a problem with the time zone and the keymap, ie. the country settings somehow colliding. As I can't go on with the setup, would my only choice be reinstalling the whole system?

And is this a problem with Woody (ie. should I possibly revert to an older installation) that can be remedied somehow?