Install error: fatal error attempting to install <pkgpath & name>
 

So I'm loading Slack 10 to recover from the disk problems I had the other night. Every time I start the package install, I receive the above error on various packages.

I've been trolling LQ & google and have tried the following

boot with 'bare.1 ide=nodma'
redownloaded the ISOs from a separate mirror
reburnded the CDs at lowest speed & on different media (manuf.)
Run Check during format on each partition (except /usr where I'm preserving data)
Swapped CD drives

This is exasperating. I've loaded Slack on two different boxes and this is a repeat install for this box. I've never had this problem before.

I'm looking for any leads. (Could there be a problem with the public ISOs?


Setup:
Micron 400MHz PII
320 MB RAM
8GB boot drive (4GB root)
40GB data drive (/usr 24GB), /var 14GB, swap)

I've been working this for 4 hours so I'm gonna crash whilst you brainstorm. And if anyone wants to fix this while I sleep - feel free :D

Yah, I would have put money on the bad media problem... but you seem to have done a great deal with this.

I would MD5 checksum the ISO files that you are burning, then the burned CDs.

Also, I would check the IDE cable being used...

If this does not make any progress. . . I would copy the install directories to your hard drive and install directly from a drive. (installing from an NFS server also would work either from the net or from your network)

keep us posted on this, I hope this helps. . . .

I think I've found it. The beginning of this saga was when my slack 9.1 system hung hard and had to be powered off/on. I thought the problem was with my boot drive. I was rebuilding using a new drive. Turns out the problem was with my data drive (where /usr resides) and as I tried to rebuild I kept hitting errors there. I have to replace it before I can move forward. Just hope my backups are good <g>

Thanks

One more follow-up. After replacing the drive and trying another install, I was still getting the same error. It was at that point I started removing DIMMS. After the second was removed, the problem abated.

So now I have a new drive, am awaiting memory and seem to be on the way towards better system health.

I'm having the same problem, but only with the first disc. I have redownloaded a few times from different locations and burned at different speeds as well.

It only happens about 5 - 7 times on disc 1, and I believe all of the packages are optional, or so I thought. The second CD works without a hitch. So after the install I booted up, but it was giving me errors when I was trying to log in, so I guess some of the packages were necesary.

Anyways, I'm trying to install from a directory on a separate partition(a partition for my XP install, /dev/hdc5)but it's not seeing the path. I noticed that it said it could install from FAT and linux partitions, this is NTSF so does that mean I need to create a fat partition and then copy the installation files there?

I can't take out any ram I only have one stick :o

I ran the install from disk and it worked well. I haven't tried the FAT partition, but if that's what the install instructions say...

do you have any other suggestions for why my CD might not be working?

Did you check the md5 signature of the .iso file? The md5 signature should match what's on the download server.

I'm having issues with this as well. :?

When I picked up the computer new I couldn't do a CD install of Slack, I chalked it up to the medium as they were both from the same spindle and colored CDs. I'd used them for my laptop but for the new desktop they didn't work.

I bought some new CDs, normal CD-Rs just to make ISOs on. Thought that would fix the problem. Nope. Ok, no problem, copied the information to the HD and started install using a partition on my HD.

Now I'm trying to upgrade to 10.1 and it won't even let me do a HD install without giving the same errors. So thinking it might be a bad CD I went back, copied the 10.0 CDs back onto the HD. Still giving me error messages. What gives?

I can't install any Slackware at all on this system now?????

How would I check my RAM? I only have have one bank of RAM (IIRC).

Grrr, the computer is about 1 month old...

I'm beginnning to think that either the quality of the CD-R or the CD recording process in general is to blame.. While this has worked for me real well in several Slack installs, other times it has not. You might try burning a Cd on another PC and using another CD-R manufacturer.

Anyone else have ideas?

CD Quality doesn't explain mine. See my post, I tried to install from my HD and it gave me the same error now that I got from a CD based installation.

Also, I just used my new 10.1 CDs to install on my laptop I'm using right now...

I'm more or less convinced mine is hardware related since day one.

The CD's I used for the installation that failed worked everytime on my laptop I'm using right now to type this.

Question is what hardware and where do I start to figure this out?

It's practically a brand new computer (one month old). Just not sure how to tell them "Slackware won't install so I think I have a hardware problem"...

Ok, I hit enter through all the errors and ALL the xap directory installed with no errors but every other directory had errors.

This was off the hard drive not CD.

Sooo does anyone have any suggestions or am I just SOL here?

Yeah, I have no clue and I would really like to get this resolved too.

I just tried Ubuntu this AM for S&Gs.

No luck. Same type of error, won't load the package information off the CD.

Guess I'm due for some warantee work. :(

I'm just about to try Debian...

I really don't think it's a hardware problem for me, my second CD worked fine. Was it only your first CD as well?

Never bothered to try the second CD.

How would it not be hardware?

From the beginning.

1. I brought the computer home. It wouldn't load Slack off of known good CDs. Ok. Loaded SuSE (from CD), partitioned, put the Slackware CD on a dedicated partition.

2. Booted up, used the CD, loaded from the partition. Installed fine.

3. Piddled around, loaded SuSE 9.2 (via ftp) when it came out.

4. Went back reinstalled Slack from the same partition again with no problems.

5. Got Slackware 10.1, put the CDs on the partition and used new CDs since I thought maybe it was a CD issue even though it worked on my laptop for installing.
Booted up using the CD like I've done, went through setting up partitions, got to the installation process and it puked installing from the HD.

6. Ok, wierd, so I copied the files from Slack 10 (previously on the partition) back to the partition. I used these very CDs and files to install Slack 10 from the HD before.
Rebooted. Same thing, error messages all over the place installing from the Hard Drive.

So I've successfully installed from the Hard drive but never from CD. Now the installation from the hard drive is failing just like the CDs even when I use the same files I previously used to install on this machine so I know the files are not corrupt as the installer states.

I then tried Ubuntu this AM just to see. No go, it won't load any packages from the CD. Had an error reading them. Gee, that sounds familiar. :(

So if it's not hardware then what is it? I've tried two different types of CD, and previously been successful. Plus I've installed Slackare 10 and 10.1 using the same CDs that fail on the desktop on my laptop.

I'm stuck with a desktop that I can't even use since there's no OS on it!

I know the media is good, I'm at a complete loss here folks.

I went to the local computer store and talked with one of the guys there.

Several of them there run linux so he tried to be as helpful as he could.

He felt it was something related to the 2.4 series kernel on the MOBO level. That the 2.4 kernel wasn't supporting and was corrupting something perhaps as evidenced by the fact that I could install SuSE 9.2 on here. Or I just had some bad hardware. I don't want to spend the money to figure out what's wrong with it.

I give up.

Keeping Slack on my laptop but it's not worth it trying to install on my desktop.

i am having the same issue on 3 different machines.

A brand new laptop
and 2 different desktops.

I know my media is good - i have tried got it from 2 different sources and it has been burn muliple times. I can copy the files off the disks to a hard drive etc. I have been playing around with different distros so one of the desktops has had redhat and ubuntu installed eon it with out an issue. It is something to do with a specific piece of hardware ie an IDE controller or the packaging of the CDs.

I should give up on it i guess.

Exactly where I ended up too. :(

Using Kanotix now. Based on Debian Sid, what a change in philosophy from Slack. :D

But at least I can use my computer...

just out of interest what mirror did you download from ?

okay i have the answer, check the MD5sums of your ISO. If you downloaded from Pacnet in AU (http://mirror.pacific.net.au/slackwa...ware-10.1-iso/) then the MD5sum don't match - their ISO is corrupt.

I just downloaded a fresh ISO from Planet-Mirror and can install fine

It turns out that my the other copy i had was downloaded by a workmate from the same mirror.

we are all Lazy .... very lazy.

MD5 sums checked out.

This was an issue for me for 9.1, 10.0, AND 10.1. All of the CDs I burned installed fine on my laptop but not my desktop. I don't think it's a corrupted .iso file since I'm sitting here using it right now to type this message from my laptop and it occured on 4 difference CDs and 3 versions from different mirrors where the MD5 sums checked out.

it is working fine for me now.

After getting a good iso i can install on all the machines that where failing yesterday.