Ok so I seem to make many small mistakes

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Everytime I try to install Gentoo I make small mistakes.

Well anyways I dled and burned the Gentoo live DVD and the first time I booted from it everything went perfect.
So I tried the installer and it started to go fine and I got to the last step and then I realized I forgot something so I exited out and it ended up not responding and had to shut down. Now when I load the DVD it has problems and my network wont work anymore =/

Any suggestions?

Also when I try the installer without a network it seems to hang up at unpacking stage tarbell.

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

I had a similar problem with an installation causing my NIC to not work. What I would recommend is getting a copy of the PCLinuxOS LiveCD and booting it (no need to install it). It will reconfigure your NIC, and everything should be fine after that. On another note, I would skip the Live Installer for Gentoo. Instead, please just post any questions, comments, or concerns you may encounter during the minimal installation. Everyone here would be more than happy to help you out with it.

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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

I will have to try that. Would any other live Linux CD work or do you recomend just that one?
Also I am kinda new to linux, tried installing gentoo about 2ish years ago and failed and havn't attempted since. My plan was kinda to get it installed and learn from there within a working environment since gentoo is pretty customizable.

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

Other LiveCDs will probably work as well, but PCLinuxOS is very fast to boot, and easy to use. Gentoo is the best way to learn about Linux because it doesn't do much for you. If you're really new to Linux in general, this is a set of good starter tutorials, and in the true spirit of Linux, they are free

:

http://www.linux.org/lessons/

If there's anything with which I can help you, please don't hesitate to ask.
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

THanks for the guides and the help! I am currently in the process of trying to fix the NIC. I have a question should the live cds usually take a while to mount the media or detect the cd in the "dev/hdc"? or did I screw something up lol

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

The amount of time it takes to mount the media depends on a HUGE amount of variables. Generally, it shouldn't take more than 5-10 seconds though to mount the actual LiveCD itself. You might be having some other problems if it does take that long. Which LiveCD are you trying to use?
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Both DVD's that I have tried are full, could size be an issue?

I bought a book on linux, also has some CDS and stuff (I like to have it physically) and the Gentoo DVD Live

They both take a while and maybe a minute? or two.

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

I would highly doubt that the size would be an issue. Basically, when you insert a LiveCD and restart the computer, it should only take a few seconds to start spinning up the disc, provided that your boot order is set to check the CD-ROM firstly before anything else. After it starts booting the LiveCD, though, it can take a little bit of time to actual get you into the LiveLinux environment.
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Ahh I think we are talking about different parts. When the Linux live CD is actually started it goes through processes then says in Gentoo

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, well that is a completely different story. We'd have to get inside that environment and figure out what /dev/hdc actually is. I had a problem one time with Gentoo hanging on my /dev/hdb, and that was because the kernel didn't support that particular piece of hardware. However, when I booted with a LiveCD that used a newer kernel, it had no problem. For that reason, I would actually recommend getting any of the *buntu flavours' LiveCD and trying that (to fix the original issue of your broken NIC). As a user of KDE, I would recommend going to http://kubuntu.com/download.php#latest and getting the appropriate copy of Kubuntu 7.10 Desktop CD, and booting it. I highly doubt you will experience that /dev/hdc hang using the 7.10 disc.

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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

/dev/hdc is what I believe to be my DVD drive.

I am dling PClinux and kubuntu

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Thanks for the help!

I am going to download and burn a new copy of the Gentoo LIVE CD instead of DVD aswell as kunbuntu and PXLINUXOS

I will post with progress ^^

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Here I will post updates as they come

I ran a LIVE CD of Gentoo version 2006.1
- Internet worked fine

New Gentoo 2007.0 LIVE CD
- Is being lame and wants to hang up at the switching to openGL interface =/

kubuntu LIVE CD
- Runs fine... but ewwwwww the interface haha.
I like GNOME better I guess, especially if you can customize it to be smoother.

Anyways if I decide to try a minimum install again what are some recomended USE settings cause I (even as a pretty computer smart person) don't even know what all of them actually do.

Ehnvis · Guru Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 305 Location: /dev/random

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

As mentioned by Ehnvis, the Desktop profile is a pretty good start. On this page of the guide:

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=6

Where it says "Choosing the Right Profile," you will run the following command to switch to the Desktop profile (and at this time during the installation):

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Hey thanks for the help guys but before I go back to installing Gentoo I have run across a problem. My hard drive seems to have failed and I need help determining if it is the actual problem. The computer has windows installed currently. When it goes to load after the BIOS it goes straight to a blank screen not completely dark but a somewhat very little difference of a shade of gray.

I tried returning the BIOS to factory settings through the menu and taking out the battery

Is there anything else I should check before I buy a new hard drive to make sure it is not something else.

Also I was able to load a live version of KBUNTU.

What kind fo tests can I run. I only have a cd drive no floppy

In KUBUNTU it shows the drive "79gig" in media but it wont display anythign within it.

=/

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

Well, there are plenty of programs that will test your HDD. That error doesn't sound like a problem with your HDD though. You might want to download the Ultimate Boot CD ( http://www.ultimatebootcd.com ) and run the appropriate HDD diagnostic tool. Also, if you're not worried about the data on that drive, you could always DBAN it (destroys all the data). That, in and of itself, will test the HDD; if it runs into any errors, there is probably something wrong with the drive.
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“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
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freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

How does DBAN work?

Is it part of that boot cd?

Also what tools would you suggest?

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

DBAN is short for Darik's Boot and Nuke, and it is the best method of destroying all data on your HDD. It gives you a completely clean medium for installing a new OS. Version 1.0.7 is included on the Ultimate Boot CD, but for more information (and the latest beta version), check out the website at:

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

If you are using a computer with an Intel Core 2 or newer processor, you will definitely want to download the latest beta version.
_________________
“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
---avatar cropped from =AimanStudio---

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

It is a pentium 4.

What do you suggest for the diagnostic tools? There are a bunch.

If as a last resort I will probably try dban.

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Crap another issue =/

When the Ultimate Boot CD (also kubuntu) reaches the "graphical" interface where you can react using the keyboard the keyboard no longer functions =(

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

Also another update when I try to runt he windows install disk it does the same thing (boot from cd) but when I disable the hard drive it loads the cd.

NathanZachary · Moderator Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 2605

So now when you load any disc (including the Windows installation disc), your keyboard doesn't respond?
_________________
“Truth, like infinity, is to be forever approached but never reached.” --Jean Ayres (1972)
---avatar cropped from =AimanStudio---

freestylelaws · n00b Joined: 27 Dec 2007 Posts: 25

sorry for the late respond but I had to go. No it works for the widnows cd when I do get it to work

Ok also since the boot cd the ultimate one did not work I nuked the hard drive and it seems to have worked. Thanks!

Now when I get brave again haha I am going to try gentoo.

I guess I have another questin for when I have a go. What else should I emerge at the end to have a working basic desktop GUI using GNOME or does that profile take care of it all?