Slackware 13.37 says its installed but I think he lies

Already partitioned, what I did:

{ Option - Select source media - Install from CD - autoscan } Worked well.
{ package selection series } I pressed OK

then it asked me to install source media, target etc.
I selected target option - formatted /dev/sda3 with ext4 for /.

asked for Windows partition addition in /etc/fstab. I selected and entered some mount point like /fat-c.

Again asked me to select source media - presented different options for selection. I selected - install from CD. It scanned for CD but couldn't find it.

Returned to package selection menu - I pressed Ok.

It told me system configuration is complete, reboot. ????

-I don't think it actually installed anything. It all finished in seconds. Anyways I took out the DVD, and rebooted - directly into Windows

Help.

Originally Posted by Anisha Kaul It scanned for CD but couldn't find it.

That's fatal.

I would try again. CDs (drives and media) are glitchy things. I might clean the CD first.

If that doesn't work I'd investigate installing from a .iso on an existing file system or on a UFD if the BIOS supports boot from UFD.

Come on, Anisha. Bob wouldn't lie

Have you checked if the .iso image was good and it burned without any errors?

I have tried this several times.
What happens exactly is that it "finds" the cd the first time [when I manually select "select source media"], then it does not find the cd again.

Anyway, will try with a new dvd.

Originally Posted by sycamorex Have you checked if the .iso image was good and it burned without any errors?

Actually, ISO image was "good". That;s a guarantee, since I installed from it on the VirtualBox successfully. Well, haven't checked the DVD though.

Failing to find the DVD on the second scan sounds more like a flakey DVD media or drive than media with a few bytes corrupted.

Anisha, that happened with me when I tried installing 13.1 last year, I remember.
I found out that I had burned the Slack dvd with maximum speed available using K3B(Mint-KDE) and that mucked up with the whole ISO.
I learnt that when burned using slower speeds, there are less chances of data screw up. You might want try to create another dvd using slower speed and then check that media.

Regards

Don't try to run the "SOURCE media" menu twice... why would you? You get returned to the main menu every time after accomplishing a task. Never go back to a task which you already completed.
The installer is very unforgiving about such an approach.

Eric

Originally Posted by Alien Bob Don't try to run the "SOURCE media" menu twice... why would you?

First time I manually do it, second time it "asks" me
to do it by explicitly presenting a new small menu to
select the source media from, that's why.

Originally Posted by Alien Bob The installer is very unforgiving about such an approach.Eric

If the CD media and CD drive are okay then perhaps the installer is confused because some steps have been skipped or performed out of sequence. Did you skip any steps after the first attempt? If so you may want to reboot from the CD and perform each step again in proper sequence (such as formatting) even if not necessary. Or possibly skip the Windows fstab entry and see if the installer behaves differently.

From your description it sounded like you were getting prompted twice, as though you were skipping around instead of following the steps in order. Just a thought.

I've just installed -current in a virtual machine. During the installation I wrote down the steps/screens step by step with my choices for this particular installation. I was only asked to choose the media source ONCE:

Boot with DVD,
- Login as root
- fdisk - setup partitions
- 'setup'
- add swap
- source media selection (Install from a slackware CD or DVD)
- choose 'autoscan'
- package series selection
- Select prompting mode (full)
The packages get installed - may take some time
- Make USB Flash Boot (I usually skip it)
- Install Lilo (simple)
- Configure Lilo to use fram buffer console (standard)
- Optional Lilo append ... line (blank)
- Select Lilo Destination (MBR)
- Mouse Configuration (imps2)
- GPM configuration (No)
- Configure Network (yes)
- Hostname (a hostname of your choice)
- domain name
- Configuration type for your machine ( Static IP) (WOW. I've just noticed that the Network Manager option has been added)
- provide your network settings
- Startup services
- fonts
- Hardware clock/Timezone
- Window Manager
- root password
- EXIT and reboot

HTH

Hi all,

if there's really a problem that the CD can't be found by the installer, I'd recommend to copy the packages (the whole content of the slackware-directory) into a partition of the computer.
Then while the installation choose "install from a premounted directory".
It is only necessary that the partition for the packages will not be formated while the Slackware-installation.

Markus

Originally Posted by markush Hi all, if there's really a problem that the CD can't be found by the installer, I'd recommend to copy the packages (the whole content of the slackware-directory) into a partition of the computer. Then while the installation choose "install from a premounted directory". It is only necessary that the partition for the packages will not be formated while the Slackware-installation. Markus

That's a good idea. I provided the installation steps above just for Anisha's reference (should she need it).

I ran into a problem like this once.

Turned out that the CD Drive was going bad.

(That's what led me to try Debian for the one-CD web install.)

About six months later, the monitor died. I hooked up an external monitor. About three months later, the laptop died.

It was the slow and painful death of a faithful laptop.

Yesterday, I burned a new DVD (slowest speed) with 13.37.
This is the same ISO with which I had installed 13.37 in
the VirtualBox.

Again failed - the same way. The installer asks me
to select the source media "again".

Originally Posted by Alien Bob You get returned to the main menu every time after accomplishing a task.

No, not correct. After first time I select the source
media option, the installer presents me the menu of
package selections. I press OK, then it tells me to
go through "the proper ways" 1. Select source, then
target, then packages!

Yeah, so why did it present me the package selection option?
I didn't ask for it.

Installer again told me that everything has been installed
and I can reboot now.
and when I rebooted I got directly into windows, again.

The title of the thread is justified.

Anyways, is there a way to know which is a flaky DVD and
which is not? Should I ask the IT people for a new DVD
writer?