Issue loading Debian on a USB HDD

[MRD]

You don't load drivers... you follow a menu-based installation program in debian. It's very simple. It just asks you questions and you answer.

At one point you'll choose a 'profile' or something like that. Choose something like desktop that includes X.org or you won't get a gui (a pure server won't).

If you are installing to an external hard drive, you can't be booting from that hard drive to do it. Well... you can, but it's complicated, involves partitioning, and is a way of introducing unnecessary work. Windows CAN read the debian installer medium, as it's isolinux. Look up how isolinux/syslinux work. They boot a FAT32 filesystem, not an ext3 filesystem. It just looks like that because after it starts the FAT32 filesystem, it loads an image of an ext3 or other Linux filesystem.

 

[curtis1552]

He could always repartition the external to have a fat32 filesytem to use as a windows swap (or home directory)

 

[MRD]

What would that buy him? The problem is that he's trying to install both TO and FROM the same drive... which won't work. Unless I am not understanding him.

 

[nightelph]

I don't think I'm installing FROM the hard drive, I'm installing from DVD-1. I'll try installing the 150mb web version tonight.

During install I chose 'Desktop Environment', and the resolution of my monitor.

 

[MRD]

Ok then I'm totally lost as to what you are having problems with.

 

[curtis1552]

Lets move to the beginning. He wants a debian install on a 4gig harddiskdrive that is in a USB external enclosure.
He install debian on the drive and it will not properly boot; grub is unable to find the neccisary files.
A concern was expressed that wndows didn't recognise it (this is expected it's not a windows supported partition)

Can you boot windows without the external plugged in?
Can you boof from external by changing it's boot proority (moving it up on list or selecting from f8)
Do you want a grub menu at boot up that lets you choose windows or the external HDD OS?
Have you modified the windows partition MBR yet?
What is the exact layout of the Pata/sata devices on your computer and any USB drives (harddisk or flash) that are pugged in during POST.
Did you change any of these orders to install Debian?
Do you want to have access to some (or all) the files from a windows OS that you have the device plugged into?

 

[ihrsetrdr]

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.

If you got xorg installed- "apt-get install xorg" and also installed GDM then the following should help get gnome going:

Once GNOME is installed, the X server must be told to start GNOME instead of a default window manager.

The easiest way to start GNOME is with GDM, the GNOME Display Manager. GDM, which is installed as a part of the GNOME desktop (but is disabled by default), can be enabled by adding gdm_enable="YES" to /etc/rc.conf. Once you have rebooted, GNOME will start automatically once you log in -- no further configuration is necessary.

GNOME may also be started from the command-line by properly configuring a file named .xinitrc. If a custom .xinitrc is already in place, simply replace the line that starts the current window manager with one that starts /usr/local/bin/gnome-session instead. If nothing special has been done to the configuration file, then it is enough simply to type:

% echo "/usr/local/bin/gnome-session" > ~/.xinitrc

Next, type startx, and the GNOME desktop environment will be started.

Excerpted FreeBSD Handbook Chap. 5 Sec 5.7.1.2

Do you have a download link to the debian image that you're using? I don't think there's a Debian version that you can run like slax-on-a-stick or knoppix-on-a-stick, but I'd like to use such, if available.

 

[nightelph]

Sorry for the long delay, I appreciate the help.

Can you boot windows without the external plugged in? YES

Can you boot from external by changing it's boot priority (moving it up on list or selecting from f8) -NO, linux starts
booting but hangs indefinitely. I have to dsiconnect my other drives, then F8 for the usbHDD.

Do you want a grub menu at boot up that lets you choose windows or the external HDD OS? NO

Have you modified the windows partition MBR yet? NO

What is the exact layout of the Pata/sata devices on your computer and any USB drives (harddisk or flash) that are pugged in during POST. BIOS looks for first drive (windows) and boots from it. I have a second media drive as well as two sata dvd-roms.

Did you change any of these orders to install Debian? YES/NO, I selected F8 to boot from CD.

Do you want to have access to some (or all) the files from a windows OS that you have the device plugged into? NO


-----------------------

If you got xorg installed- "apt-get install xorg" and also installed GDM then the following should help get gnome going:
Excerpted FreeBSD Handbook Chap. 5 Sec 5.7.1.2
Do you have a download link to the debian image that you're using? I don't think there's a Debian version that you can run like slax-on-a-stick or knoppix-on-a-stick, but I'd like to use such, if available.

Downloaded DVD-1: link.

I will try the suggested commands.

I will also try the Net Install tonight.

 

[MRD]

If the hard drive is plugged in, and you leave the windows hard drive as the first in the boot order, does windows boot normally, or does it try to boot Linux and hang?

If you do not want a boot menut allowing you to choose which OS to boot, what is the basic goal here? To boot Linux if and only if the external drive is connected?

 

[nightelph]

If the hard drive is plugged in, and you leave the windows hard drive as the first in the boot order, does windows boot normally, or does it try to boot Linux and hang?

If you do not want a boot menu allowing you to choose which OS to boot, what is the basic goal here? To boot Linux if and only if the external drive is connected?

Windows boots.

I want to choose linux by hitting F8, and I don't want GRUB on my windows drive.

 

[curtis1552]

Would you prefer LILO?

Note this quote:

Can you boot from external by changing it's boot priority (moving it up on list or selecting from f8) -NO, linux starts booting but hangs indefinitely. I have to dsiconnect my other drives, then F8 for the usbHDD.

This is probably due to the way that GRUB reads the drive assignments; by reordering the devices you change their assignment thus GRUB cannot find the boot files that are required. (but I could be blowing smoke out my butt - it's a WAG)
This would be applicable only if selecting the boot device does affect the way the BIOS read the devices.
GAHH.
I have the feeling i could fix it but i would have to play with it for a while and since i'm not where you are I can't play with it.
CORRECTION: I'm thinking of FSTAB problems not GRUB. If it is the FSTAB he might be able to fix it by specifying UUIDs instead of the mountpoint - though I don't know how to find a UUID that isn't automatically generated.

Other questions:
Did you enable booting on the partition when installing Debian (it is usually enabled but if you played with the partitions during install it sometimes doesn't enable this by default when you repartition)

Linux will boot it it's the ONLY drive installed in the system?

Where exactly does the system hang during boot?

 

[MRD]

What you need to do is just install grub on the MBR of the windows hard disk. This will allow you to boot both Windows and Linux. It will not adversely affect your ability to boot Windows (unless you disconnect the hard drive).

If you are going to do that, then I'd suggest putting a small Linux boot partition on the main drive and using grub that way.