Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
I haven't tried to install Knoppix, but Knoppix runs great from the CD on my machine. I haven't tried creating more but smaller partitions, but I'll give it a shot. Thanks. Doug -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
All the above said, I'm not entirely clear on
what your actual problem
is. Why do you need to mount an extra filesystem
by hand from the
installer?
I'm not trying to mount any "extra" filesystem.
I'm trying to mount the root, and the Debian
installer won't let me. After partitioning the
disk (a standard boot partition, swap partition,
and root partition setup), initializing all
partitions, and activating the swap partition, the
next step the installer displays is the following:
You must mount your root filesystem ("/") before
you can mount any other file systems. Would you
like to mount /dev/hda3 as the root filesystem?
I answer "Yes"
The system always comes back with: "Mount failed:
invalid argument"
The installer doesn't display the command line, so
I have no idea what argument is invalid. At that
point, I can't continue until I mount the root,
and the installer won't do that, so the only thing
I can do is power off.
I've been reading a number of different
installation advice pages, some extremely well
written, but they all have one fatal flaw - they
all assume that every step in the process will go
as planned. None of them have anything on
troubleshooting when things don't happen as they
are supposed to.
I'll try finding and reading info about the mount
command for now. It seems that I'll have to mount
the root from the command line, but without
knowing what "invalid argument" the installation
program itself is using, it's pretty frustrating
to troubleshoot.
Doug
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 11:45:49 +0900, Douglas Dreistadt wrote: The system always comes back with: Mount failed: invalid argument The installer doesn't display the command line, so I have no idea what argument is invalid. At that point, I can't continue until I mount the root, and the installer won't do that, so the only thing I can do is power off. I've been reading a number of different installation advice pages, some extremely well written, but they all have one fatal flaw - they all assume that every step in the process will go as planned. None of them have anything on troubleshooting when things don't happen as they are supposed to. I'll try finding and reading info about the mount command for now. It seems that I'll have to mount the root from the command line, but without knowing what invalid argument the installation program itself is using, it's pretty frustrating to troubleshoot. Though a sidetrack: Have you tried to install from a KNOPPIX-CD ? The Debian installers tend to fail here and there. Maybe it doesn't like the intended size(s) of the partitions ? Did you try smaller ones ? -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
'mount -t ext2 /dev/hda3 /wherever/you/want/to/put/it', if it's a standard Linux filesystem. Thanks to all for the advice so far. Let me explain exactly what I have been trying. The Debian installation program can't mount the root partition because it contains an invalid argument, so I went to the command prompt. According to the install doc, I'm supposed to mount partition 3 as the root. So following the syntax above, I tried: mount -t ext2 /dev/hda3 / (read mount hda3 as root ??) The result was: Mounting /dev/hda3 on / failed: Invalid argument Since that is not valid syntax, I thought, well, the above explanation doesn't match the syntax anyway. If the last part of the command is "wherever/you/want/to/put/it" then where I want to mount it is in the third partition, that is, hda3, and what I want to put there is the root directory, so the last 2 parts of the command must be reversed. Right? So I tried: mount -t ext2 / /dev/hda3 (read mount root on hda3 ??) The result was: Mounting / on /dev/hda3 failed: Block device required whatever that means. But at least the argument is valid this time. Hmmm... When I went to the command prompt, the Debian installation program states onscreen that: The hard disk filesystems are mounted under "/target" Which, of course, is not true, because nothing is mounted yet at all. So I looked at the installation doc, and it states: If you are mounting a root partition for your new system, just mount it to /target OK. So I tried an ls command, and sure enough there was a directory named /target. But why would the hard disk filesystems be mounted under a directory on the CD anyway? It makes no sense to me to mount a directory on the CD, but it says I should, and no examples of syntax are provided, so I tried: mount -t ext2 /dev/hda3 /target The result was: Mounting /dev/hda3 on /target failed: Invalid argument But wait a minute, it says I am supposed to mount (the root) to /target, so I tried: mount -t ext2 / /target which resulted in: Mounting / on /target failed: Invalid argument So as you can see, I've been following directions to the letter, but the directions themselves are very vague, and either don't work or don't make sense. This is the point at which I'm stuck. Can anyone point the way out? Doug -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
I re-created my partitions. Now hda1 is 30mb and
set as bootable, hda2 is 1gb and is activated as
the swap drive, and hda3 is about 78gb. I
initialized hda1 and hda3 as "Linux native". After
initializing hda1, the installation program said I
must mount the root filesystem before continuing,
but since the root is supposed to go in hda3, I
had to initialize hda3 before mounting, so I
initialized hda3. Then the installation program
comes back with:
You must mount your root filesystem ("/") before
you can mount any other file systems. Would you
like to mount /dev/hda3 as the root filesystem?
I answered "Yes"
The system came back with: "Mount failed: invalid
argument"
So I'm still stuck in the same place. This seems
to be a Catch 22. I can't do anything else until I
mount the root filesystem. It won't let me mount
hda3 as the root because of an invalid argument.
Yet no other argument is possible because there is
no command line. How do I get around this? There
must be a way ...
Doug
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Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
On Thu, 2004-01-08 at 12:31, Douglas Dreistadt wrote: to be a Catch 22. I can't do anything else until I mount the root filesystem. It won't let me mount hda3 as the root because of an invalid argument. I don't know what installer you're using, and I don't know the amount of expertise on your side... Try #1: open another virtual terminal (Alt-F2) and try to mount your drive from there, manually. Quite likely you'll get a more detailed error message. Try #2: use a completely different installer. Look here: http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Debian/installers.html cu, Schnobs -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
The installer I'm using is the one which starts up when you boot the official Debian CD. I just bought a 7 CD set which is labeled: debian GNU/Linux 3.0r2[woody] i386 binary As for my level of expertise... well, zero experience with Linux. I have been using DOS/WIN since DOS 3.2, so I do feel comfortable at the command line, but I am not familiar with Linux commands. I was really impressed with the Knoppix CD I tried recently, and decided to take the Linux plunge with Debian because I'm a WordPerfect user and I heard that WP for Linux runs best on Debian. I tried Alt-F2, and guessed that the command for mounting a disk was "mount". I tried "mount hda3" and "mount /dev/hda3" and several other combinations of these, but I keep getting the error "Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab" I also tried issuing the commands from different directories, but the error message was always "Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab". It's also hard to tell exactly where I am because the Linux prompt doesn't display the working directory, and the "ls" command rarely returns anything. I guess I'm going to have to find some info on Linux commands and learn them before attempting the install again, because I can't seem to find any help on commands and switches at the command line. I'll probably consider another installer if I can't work through the problems with this official Debian CD, but I'm guessing that the solution is probably a simple one, so I hate to give up now. Any suggestions ...? Doug -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Re: Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
On Fri, Jan 09, 2004 at 09:34:33AM +0900, Douglas Dreistadt wrote: I tried Alt-F2, and guessed that the command for mounting a disk was mount. I tried mount hda3 and mount /dev/hda3 and several other combinations of these, but I keep getting the error Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab I also tried issuing the commands from different directories, but the error message was always Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab. 'mount -t ext2 /dev/hda3 /wherever/you/want/to/put/it', if it's a standard Linux filesystem. If it's a DOS filesystem, substitute 'vfat' for 'ext2'. If you just give a single argument to mount, it interprets it as a mount point (the place in the current filesystem onto which to graft the newly mounted filesystem), and looks through /etc/fstab to try to find the filesystem type and the device to mount. It's also hard to tell exactly where I am because the Linux prompt doesn't display the working directory, and the ls command rarely returns anything. The installer's shell is pretty minimal for space reasons. 'pwd' will tell you your current working directory. In a proper shell in an installed system, you'll probably have a decent prompt preconfigured, but if not then type the following (or variations) to put the current working directory in your prompt: PS1='[EMAIL PROTECTED] \w\$ ' I guess I'm going to have to find some info on Linux commands and learn them before attempting the install again, because I can't seem to find any help on commands and switches at the command line. Again, that's the installer shell for you. :) (I did think it had 'help foo', though.) There's plenty of information at http://www.tldp.org/. I'll probably consider another installer if I can't work through the problems with this official Debian CD, but I'm guessing that the solution is probably a simple one, so I hate to give up now. Any suggestions ...? All the above said, I'm not entirely clear on what your actual problem is. Why do you need to mount an extra filesystem by hand from the installer? Cheers, -- Colin Watson [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
On Fri, Jan 09, 2004 at 09:34:33AM +0900, Douglas Dreistadt imagined: As for my level of expertise... well, zero experience with Linux. I have been using DOS/WIN since DOS 3.2, so I do feel comfortable at the command line, but I am not familiar with Linux commands. I was really impressed with the Knoppix CD I tried recently, and decided to take the Linux plunge with Debian because I'm a WordPerfect user and I heard that WP for Linux runs best on Debian. You probably want to switch to OpenOffice as soon as possible - it's 'free/libre' software (aka open source). I tried Alt-F2, and guessed that the command for mounting a disk was mount. I tried mount hda3 and mount /dev/hda3 and several other combinations of these, but I keep getting the error Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab I also tried issuing the commands from different directories, but the error message was always Can't find hda3 in /etc/fstab. man pages are the best resource for figuring out 'syntax' questions. So, man mount It's also hard to tell exactly where I am because the Linux prompt doesn't display the working directory, The prompt can be configured to display anything you want pretty much. For instance, this configuration will display the name of the current directory *without* including the preceding path: PS1='[EMAIL PROTECTED]: \W]\$ ' The above line is in /etc/profile so it is a 'global' setting; you could also include it in ~/.bashrc for a more 'local' configuration. Also this environmental variable needs to be 'exported', so in the same file you would have another line that reads like so: export PS1 Failing all of the above, there is of course the basic 'pwd' command that reveals your 'present working directory'. and the ls command rarely returns anything. I guess I'm going to have to find some info on Linux commands and learn them before attempting the install again, because I can't seem to find any help on commands and switches at the command line. It's a good idea to bone up on some basic command-line commands. It makes working with *nix kind of funky when you start to learn your way around the command-line :-) I sure you could google a beginner tutorial or two without two much trouble... Have Fun, Raymond -- What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is brought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy? (Gandhi) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
* Douglas Dreistadt [EMAIL PROTECTED] [2004-01-06 09:16]: Lou, Thanks for the reply. I was feeling pretty lost. * Douglas Dreistadt [EMAIL PROTECTED] [2004-01-05 20:34]: I'm trying to install Debian from CD on a 700mhz AMD system with 500mb RAM. Right now I am stuck in the middle of installation. I have made it as far as disk formatting, but cannot mount(?) the root partition. When I try to mount dev/hda1 as the root file system, I get a [Mount failed: Invalid argument] error, and cannot proceed beyond that point. That error doesn't make sense to me, since I am using the installation system setup menus, not the command line, and cannot add any arguments. -perhaps /dev/hda1 rather than dev/hda1 I'm not sure I know the difference. I guess I must mean /dev/hda1. The difference is that dev/hda1 refers to a directory named /dev/hda1 under whatever your current working directory is. Thus if you where currently in /home/foobar, it would be referring to /home/foobar/dev/hda1. This is not what you want. You want to refer to the dev directory that is a usbdirectory of the root (/) directory. Thus you specify it as /dev/hda1 I am working with a 80gb Seagate hard disk. I created 3 primary partitions: 5gb for the boot partition 1gb for the swap partition 75gb for everything else -if they are in that order and the drive is hda then the root partition -would be /dev/hda3 not /dev/hda1 So you're saying the root partition and the boot partition are different things. I was assuming the the entire operating system was going to be installed in the boot partition. Well, if the root should be hda3, and the OS goes there, then do I really need to give 5gb to the boot partition? Would you recommend repartitioning the boot partition down to a smaller size? Reading the installation docs, I was very confused. It suggests 20-30mb for the boot partition, but I have allocated 5gb because I thought the OS would be installed there. How much space would be appropriate for the boot partition? Yes they are different things. The /boot directory holds copies of your kernel and some config files for your boot loader. 20 to 30mb should be fine. The root directory is 'the root of the directory tree or hierarchy'. This is the directory '/'. This is where your operating system and everything else will go. The install doc (chapter 6) also recommends an upper limit of 6gb for any partition. On an 80gb drive, that means I would have to create a minimum of 14 different partitions! Is that realistic? Do I really need to create that many partitions? I am not hte expert here, but this sounds ludicrous to me. I am not aware of any limit that would cause you to create partitions of 6gb or less. I succeeded in creating the partitions, initializing all 3 partitions, and activating the swap partition. Next, it says I have to mount a partition as the root, and I have tried numerous times, but always get the [invalid argument] error. Can anyone out there give me some pointers? I'd be grateful for any comments ... Hope that helps, Lou -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mount failed: Invalid argument
I'm trying to install Debian from CD on a 700mhz AMD system with 500mb RAM. Right now I am stuck in the middle of installation. I have made it as far as disk formatting, but cannot "mount"(?) the root partition. When I try to mount dev/hda1 as the root file system, I get a [Mount failed: Invalid argument] error, and cannot proceed beyond that point. That error doesn't make sense to me, since I am using the installation system setup menus, not the command line, and cannot add any arguments. I am working with a 80gb Seagate hard disk. I created 3 primary partitions: 5gb for the boot partition 1gb for the swap partition 75gb for everything else I succeeded in creating the partitions, initializing all 3 partitions, and activating the swap partition. Next, it says I have to "mount" a partition as the root, and I have tried numerous times, but always get the [invalid argument] error. Can anyone out there give me some pointers? -- ^^ Douglas Dreistadt ^^ ^^ [EMAIL PROTECTED] ^^ ^^^^ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Mount failed: Invalid argument
* Douglas Dreistadt [EMAIL PROTECTED] [2004-01-05 20:34]: I'm trying to install Debian from CD on a 700mhz AMD system with 500mb RAM. Right now I am stuck in the middle of installation. I have made it as far as disk formatting, but cannot mount(?) the root partition. When I try to mount dev/hda1 as the root file system, I get a [Mount failed: Invalid argument] error, and cannot proceed beyond that point. That error doesn't make sense to me, since I am using the installation system setup menus, not the command line, and cannot add any arguments. perhaps /dev/hda1 rather than dev/hda1 I am working with a 80gb Seagate hard disk. I created 3 primary partitions: 5gb for the boot partition 1gb for the swap partition 75gb for everything else if they are in that order and the drive is hda then the root partition would be /dev/hda3 not /dev/hda1 I succeeded in creating the partitions, initializing all 3 partitions, and activating the swap partition. Next, it says I have to mount a partition as the root, and I have tried numerous times, but always get the [invalid argument] error. Can anyone out there give me some pointers? -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
