Issue loading Debian on a USB HDD

[nightelph]

So I loaded the latest version of Debian on a small external usb hard drive, it finishes loading the GRUB bootloader (which I chose to install on the usb hdd instead of my main windows drive), reboot and I get a message saying 'Error loading operating system'. Any ideas? DO I even need the bootloader? I have no problem hitting F8 and selecting the usb driver when I want to boot linux.

 

[curtis1552]

It is probably due to the way that your motherboard sets up the removable media, in addition to the way that Debian sets up the GRUB.
This could be a very hardware/software specific problem, so we will need more info from you.
Yes, you do need a bootloader; it starts the operating system.

1. WHERE did you install the bootloader?
2. What does **will edit when i can check my nix box for paths** the grub lists.conf and the /etc/fstab have in it?

 

[nightelph]

1. I installed the bootloader on the usb hdd boot record.
2. Not sure what this means. Is that on the debian dvd?

 

[curtis1552]

the grub file should be called lists.conf and it is the menu that comes up when grub starts, you can edit it or add new options.
The fstab lists the partitions that are mounted when you boot the operating system.

 

[nightelph]

Sorry if I seem a bit daft, but Grub doesn't come up at all when I boot the machine. If I select the usb hdd to boot from then I get the error message. If I select my main drive I get windows. I suppose I can re install Debian- maybe what I'll do is disconnect my other drives when loading and setting up Debian.

 

[MRD]

If you mount the USB drive in Windows, what do you see on it? Generally they use isolinux, which means it's a FAT32 filesystem with a linux installer on an image that is loaded by isolinux.

 

[nightelph]

Well I hooked it up before installing to see if there was anything on it. Now when I hook it up in Vista nothing shows up in 'My Computer', but it is recognized as a usb device in the system tray. Grr.

 

[MRD]

I think you created the image wrong on the usb stick. I'm not 100% sure, but I'd be really surprised if you can't browse it in Windows and see the isolinux files.

 

[nightelph]

Alrighty, I can reinstall it I suppose. Its actually a 4gb laptop drive in an enclosure.

 

[MRD]

Why not just use a cd?

 

[nightelph]

Just run it from a cd? I'd like to start using linux and may begin migrating some of my tasks to that environment. Therefore I'd like to be able to write to disk. I know 4gb is not much, but if it takes off I can grab a cheap drive from the classies. I'll post back this evening after trying a re-install.

 

[nightelph]

Got it loaded onto the drive, but when booting I get an error;

Fatal server error:
no screens found
XIO: Fatal IO error 104 (connection reset by peer) on xserver ":0.0" after 0 requests (0 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

I can get to a terminal, I tried running startx, which will generate the above. And I ran aptitude install x-window-system gnome, which reinstalled gnome but produced the same error. During the initial install x-server had me select my resolution, which is 19x12. Any ideas?

I tried a bunch of commands I pulled up in a google search for said error, no dice. I also tried hooking up a different lcd monitor to no effect.

 

[MRD]

You can install debian with a network connection and the ~120 mb minimal install cd.

 

[nightelph]

I'm aware of that method but I already have the first dvd downloaded and burned. I looked through the xorg log, and I see lots of nvidia cards listed, but nothing newer than the 8 series. Could this be why I'm getting this error?

 

[MRD]

To start, just install with the generic nv driver (open source). Then later install the nvidia binary drivers separately.

You shouldn't be using the first dvd. You want to use the 120mb INSTALL cd. The first DVD of the huge list assumes you will download all 200000 petabytes of the debian distro, which makes no sense for normal people. (It's only good if you don't have an internet connection.)

 

[curtis1552]

Window's wont like it because it's a Ext2/3 filesystem and you need 3rd part software to browse it.
If he had a KNOPPIX cd/dvd it would be easier to edit the files on the USB HDD.

About no screens found;
I had this problem when installing on arch recently.
Make sure you install the open source drivers, and the proprietry. Sometimes diring initial boot gnome/kde don't like to access the proprietry drivers.
Also make sure the correct driver is listed in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf (This path or filename might not be perfect, i'm not on my linux box to check)
you need to find the 'screens' or 'display' section and look for where it specifies the driver. Mine defaulted to 'nv' which didn't want to exist for some reason and i changed it to 'nvidia' which then worked.

 

[MRD]

Window's wont like it because it's a Ext2/3 filesystem and you need 3rd part software to browse it.
If he had a KNOPPIX cd/dvd it would be easier to edit the files on the USB HDD.

Not true. Almost all CD images of Linux LiveCD's are isolinux format, which means that it's a FAT filesystem (readable by windows) with an isolinux boot loader that loads a Linux image. I know for a fact that Debian install CD's use isolinux, as do Gentoo, Ubuntu, Knoppix, and almost everything else. If you wanted to see the actual Linux files in Linux, you'd mount the cd first, then mount the image via a loopback.

 

[curtis1552]

I get that, but i was referring to the (normal) install of Debian on the external USB HDD. When he loads windows it will not read the EXT3 partition.
I took the OP as he made a regular full install of Debian on an external harddrive, whereas it appears that you assumed he was installing on a flashstick (pendrive).
I based my assumption on his posts:

small external usb hard drive

Its actually a 4gb laptop drive in an enclosure.

In this case it's a full install using the EXT3 filesystem, isn't it?
3rd party program HERE for reading EXT3 filesystem.

 

[MRD]

Oh maybe... can we clarification on that?

Are you moving an existing install or doing a new one?

 

[nightelph]

Oh maybe... can we clarification on that?

Are you moving an existing install or doing a new one?

I get that, but i was referring to the (normal) install of Debian on the external USB HDD. When he loads windows it will not read the EXT3 partition.
I took the OP as he made a regular full install of Debian on an external harddrive, whereas it appears that you assumed he was installing on a flashstick (pendrive).
I based my assumption on his posts:


In this case it's a full install using the EXT3 filesystem, isn't it?
3rd party program HERE for reading EXT3 filesystem.

Its a brand new full install of Debain to an external hard drive. And yes, windows can't read it. You think I should just load the minimalist cd to start with? Also, how do I load drivers from the terminal? (correct term? what dos users would call the command line?)