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Linux - Laptop and Netbook Having a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).

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Old 09-12-2004, 10:25 AM   #1
Xolo
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Installing Mandrake 9.0 Powerpack over NFS produces 'Exec format error'


Quick background:

Hardware:
Toshiba Libretto 100CT, 32MB RAM, 10GB hdd, Xircom Creditcard 10/100 Ethernet + Modem 56 PCMCIA card, External PCMCIA floppy drive

Software:
First three Mandrake 9.0 PowerPack Edition disks copied onto an XLink NFS Server with R/W permissions, One bootdisk with the PCMCIA.img disk image on it.


I get the following error when I get to the part where the installation is
supposed to start after entering the NFS server details:

Code:
error in exec of stage2 :-(
trying to execute '/usr/bin/runinstall2' from the installtion volume,
the following fatal error occurred
FATAL ERROR IN STAGE1: Exec format error

I can't recover from this.
You may reboot your system.
When looking on the NFS server between the files I found that
the 'runinstall2' file is 0 bytes.. but apparently the install procedure wants
that file and barfs because it is not formatted as expected
Anyone here got a clue what the runinstall2 file is supposed to contain?
the cd's I used are from the PowerPack edition. I couldn't find a non-empty
runinstall2 file on any of the 7 disks, and even the download edition has
the empty file in it.

What am I missing here? I've done many installs before with the same CD's
resulting in errorless machines running Mandrake 9.0 like a dream and do
not understand how this file is now a problem during install?
 
Old 09-12-2004, 11:09 AM   #2
Xolo
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Update:

Got the contents of the file from Otish in another post:

Code:
#!/usr/bin/perl
BEGIN {
    
    (my $f = __FILE__) =~ s|install2$|list_modules.pm|;
    -e $f or symlink '../kernel/list_modules.pm', $f;
}

use lib qw(/usr/bin/perl-install .);
use install2;

$::testing = $ENV{PERL_INSTALL_TEST};
$::isStandalone = 0;

install2::main(@ARGV);

c::_exit(0);

I went and inserted this into the runinstall2 file and the error still occurs, but
has changed to an I/O Error.

I'll do another copy of the CD's into the NFS volume to see if this is related to
the fact that I only have CD1 loaded at this time.
 
Old 09-12-2004, 02:36 PM   #3
Xolo
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After copying in the other 6 disks, the error has changed from I/O Error
to 'No such file or directory'

I've reached the bottom again. I guess i'll dig around a little more to find
out which file is missing this time.. This was supposed to be easy!
 
Old 09-12-2004, 03:54 PM   #4
Xolo
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Well, I discovered that at least 20 files are of zero byte length. After looking in one of the
Mandrake FTP mirrors for the MDK9.1 distro I can see that most of them were supposed to
be symlinks and a few others were scripts. I tried copying them over to my NFS volume,
but got left out on two files that weren't in 9.1, namely Pack and Unpack.
Ran the install again, and actually got through to the second stage but then XF86Config
barfed with the following:

Quote:
XF86Config: /tmp/Xconf
(**) stands for supplied, (--) stands for probed/default values
(**) XKB: disabled
(**) Mouse: type: PS/2, device: /dev/mouse, buttons: 5
(**) Mouse: zaxismapping: (-)4 (+)5
(**) FBDev: Graphics devide ID: "Generic VGA"
(**) FBDev: Monitor ID: "monitor"
(**) FontPath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts:unscaled"
Couldn't open RGB_DB ´/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb´
(**) FBDev: Using default frame buffer video mode
(--) FBDev: Frame buffer device: VESA VGA
(--) FBDev: Video memory: 1948K @ 0xfd000000
(--) FBDev: MMIO regs: 0K @ nil
(--) FBDev: Type 0 type_aux 0 bits_per_pixel 16
(--) FBDev: Hardware accelerator: None
(--) FBDev: No driver support for hardware acceleration
bpp = 16, depth = 16, BitsPerRGB = 6
(--) FBDev: Using cfb16 driver
error opening security policy file /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xserver/SecurityPolicy

GLib-WARNING **: getpwuid_r(): failed due to: No such user 0.
install exited abnormally :-( -- received signal 7
sending termination signals...done
sending kill signals...done
unmounting filesystems...
/proc
/tmp/image
you may safely reboot your system

Now i'm REALLY stuck. suggestions anyone?
 
Old 09-12-2004, 04:45 PM   #5
Xolo
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Stubborn as I am I retried.. but without passing 'vgalo' before booting install.
i'm now inside the graphical install and up to the part where you define your partitions.
Good news is I can configure my partitions and format them, but when I click on 'Done'
it goes into the next step to format the partitions, and after this it errors out with
Code:
Failed to check filesystem /dev/hda1. Do you want to repair the
errors? (beware, you can loose data)
Clicking either Yes or No brings you this uplifting message:
Code:
An error occurred
fsck failed on /dev/hda1 with exit code 127 or signal 0.
After which I end up in an infinite loop between both messages.
I've tried doing the automatic install that uses the existing partitions but apparently
this procedure also wants to format the partitions which ofcourse puts me back into
the loop of the two messages of eternal annoyance.
I know the disk is good, I checked it for surface errors in Windows 98 before I started
and no errors were reported.
maybe i'll figure out something else..

Last edited by Xolo; 09-12-2004 at 04:47 PM.
 
Old 09-13-2004, 12:45 AM   #6
Xolo
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Still messing with it at this ungodly hour before I go to work:
Tried passing mem=64 to the boot: prompt in an attempt to fool the kernel into thinking
there is 64MB RAM present instead of 32. ofcourse it freezes when loading vmlinuz.
it would be wonderful if I could somehow skip the partition formatting part.

Edit: tried to skip the formatting by passing expert readonly=1 at the boot: prompt.
ofcourse that doesn't work either.
 
Old 09-16-2004, 05:44 AM   #7
Xolo
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I've managed to delete the root partition on the harddrive of my Libretto
by using a rather old version (6) of Partition Magic. it wouldn't delete the
other (swap and /home) partitions so later today i'll try v8.0 to rid the disk
of the other two partitions so I can start over. and if that won't work..

Then for my next steps I planned as follows:[list=1][*]Switch harddrives from my Libretto 100CT to my IBM Thinkpad R31[*]Boot Mandrake CD1 on my Thinkpad to wipe the Libretto disk and redo the partitions[*]Reboot the Thinkpad with Knoppix to yank ISO images of Mandrake over the network onto /home on the Libretto harddisk[*]Switch harddrives again back to the Libretto 100CT[*]Boot the Libretto with a floppy for a HDD based Mandrake 9.0 install[/list=1]

So while i'm doing that.. i'd appreciate any suggestions or ideas you might have for
me since I encountered errors earlier in my steps to install Mandrake and I haven't
the slightest idea on how to get around those except for trying antics like listed above?
Also any opinions on what window manager to use? IceWM/Blackbox/Fluxbox/other?
from what I understood in these forums KDE or Gnome would be rather heavy.


Thanks.

Last edited by Xolo; 09-16-2004 at 05:46 AM.
 
Old 09-16-2004, 11:42 AM   #8
Xolo
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Well i've proceeded according to the points I set out for myself, but:


Code:
Could not mount file
/mandrake/MandrakeLinux9.0-inst-1.iso as an
ISO image of the Mandrake Linux Distribution.
GROAN. back to the drawing board. perhaps it's a permission thing.
 
Old 09-17-2004, 06:18 AM   #9
Xolo
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Nope, it wasn't a permission thing. I tried to make another folder that just contained the contents
of the first two cd's but apparently then the /home partition which is ofcourse ext3, is seen as
a 'windows' partition. ?! so that failed as well.
I do have Mandrake 9.0 running on the Libretto now but ofcourse no X,
no network (but fixable) and I can't install anything because I have no
CD rom drive anymore. urgh.
I'm now messing with a Freecom Classic external
parallel port cd-rom drive, but haven't been able to get it working yet. whee!

Last edited by Xolo; 09-17-2004 at 06:20 AM.
 
Old 09-17-2004, 03:41 PM   #10
Xolo
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I've managed to get a running system onto the Libretto now by installing some
basic stuff onto the Libretto harddisk when I had it mounted inside my IBM Thinkpad.
it's running on the Libretto, but X is broken, sound is broken, the network works
after manual configuration every boot (doesn't stick) and I can't install anything
major until I redo the installation source list and copy over the first three disks into
a folder in the /home partition and make that the new installation source.
then I *might* be able to redo some installations like Xfree86 and the other broken
crap like the soundcard, blackbox, Xircom 10/100 + 56 modem PCMCIA card support
and finally create a mean, clean, portable Mandrake power machine
Oh and i'd like to have Firefox and Fluxbox installed instead of the default stuff but
that's another story, on another day in the future.
I have my weekend's work cut out for me. how about you?
 
Old 09-20-2004, 06:07 AM   #11
Xolo
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This place seems as dead as a doorknob. maybe I should make this my new free weblog?

Still messing with the Libretto. although I have Mandrake 9.0 running on it now
i'm not satisfied.. I need to get X working and get to repairing the broken software I got
after switching disks between the Thinkpad and the Libretto.. isn't there anyone here
that is willing to help a hand?

Working:
General minimal Mandrake 9.0 stuff
Login, all virtual consoles
Ethernet over a Xircom PCMCIA card, configured for DHCP
screen works at 800x600, should be 800x480...

Not Working:
Can't start X
Can't install software, urpmi works but sources broken
No sound, only system beep
XFdrake settings do not work, tied to urpmi being broken
Screen resolution at 800x600 cuts out the bottom.. supposed to be 800x480
Linuxconf settings also don't stick



Anyone?

Last edited by Xolo; 09-20-2004 at 06:10 AM.
 
Old 09-20-2004, 03:17 PM   #12
Xolo
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Tonight I went through the whole plan again and ripped the drive out of my Libretto
again to do a full from the ground up setup using my Thinkpad. I did something
differently this time since I learned from hacking around on the console what the
name was of the Libretto's graphics card and the needed driver. I used that
information during setup and skipped the X test and finished the installation, then
swapped the drive back to the Libretto, and presto! I have X and Blackbox running.

Things that still need fixing:[list=1][*] The screen is still at 800x600. need to change this to
800x480 so I can view the rest at a non-hacked up resolution.[*] Need to get rid of the USB drivers that are linked to my
Thinkpad hardware and change it to the Libretto hardware[*] Need to get rid of the network card drivers that are
linked to my Thinkpad hardware and change it so the
Libretto only sees the Xircom PCMCIA card that's inserted[*] Need to get rid of the sound drivers that are linked to
my Thinkpad hardware and change it to the Libretto's
Yamaha OPL3SAx sound hardware so I can HEAR something, dammit![*] And speed up booting a little. perhaps turning off some
unneeded services will help.[/list=1]

That's about it.
Oh, and i'm starting to like my quiet little weblog here, too. }: )
 
Old 09-22-2004, 10:38 AM   #13
Xolo
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Hosed my install today by using apm --suspend after installing apm.
This seemingly called the Libretto's BIOS hibernation routines, which kindly dumps
the entire RAM contents at the end of the disk. Now, this would be OK if I left
space open at the end of the disk for this, but another curiosity comes into play
here and that is that the Libretto's BIOS can only see disks smaller than 8GB.
Now, I have a 10GB harddrive. the 'end' of the disk was therefore lying somewhere
in the middle of hda6, where the /home partition was located.
Result: two suspends later I have a non-functioning system with a hosed hda6.
I'm reinstalling the lot as I speak. It's still too quiet in this thread!
 
Old 09-22-2004, 05:33 PM   #14
Xolo
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Registered: Jul 2004
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Rep: Reputation: 31
Okay, i'm back at the beginning. I have successfully reinstalled the Libretto again and also this
time selected 800x600 resolution generic flatpanel as my monitor so now i'm running at
800x600 @ 16bpp with Blackbox. very nice indeed to have more screen real estate.

Still in need of fixing:[list=1][*]Screen resolution needs to become 800x480 on the NeoMagic MagicGraph 128XD vga card.[*]I want the Yamaha OPL3SAx soundcard to work.[*]Remove old hardware like the Thinkpad e100 ethernet module and usb_uhci maybe, change USB to the Extended Port Replicator[*]Maybe get decent battery notifications[*]Maybe screen brightness controls?[*]Mozilla Firefox, some day[*]Fluxbox, if it offers better functionality and smaller footprint than Blackbox[*]Set up the Xircom modem part of the card[*]Decorate my LinuxQuestions visitorless weblog (here)[*]Buy a book for Linux Administrators[*]Get some sleep already since it's 12:30am[*]Reinstall GkrellM again.[*]Brush up my sketching skills and GIMP skills[*]2 minutes further and still not in bed yet[*]And something else, but I forget now.[/list=1]


Goodnight

Last edited by Xolo; 09-27-2004 at 03:21 PM.
 
  


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