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    Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

    I have been wrestling with this for over a day now and I cannot find the answers.solutions I'm looking for via these forums or Google (might be I am not familiar enough with Linux terminology to know what to search for better)

    Initially I was having the same problems as covered by this post

    But then after following the steps there I now get the following error during installation:

    "The installer needs to remove operating system files from the install target, but was unable to do so. The install cannot continue."

    I have tried re-formatting the partitions to ext3 for all three and then 2 ext3 and 1 linux-swap (Windows Vista on main 250g HD, then the 3x 8g partitions on my 320g storage drive) I am simply at a loss as to what and try next to continue with the installation.

    Now, please understand this is my very first attempt at any type of Linux based OS and I have no programming/coding experience, so please if you think you can help please be as detailed as possible and provide any links I might need.

    Not sure if its related at all but when I ran the live cd within windows and installed Linux into a folder within my storage drive (15g) it seemed to complete without issue, but then when I reboot the system as requested by the installer the system goes to some dos looking program called Busybox, being that I have no idea what to do from there I tried rebooting again and the second time through it takes me to a prompt and says press "enter or b to boot" but the highlighted item is all crazy symbols and gibberish. When I hit enter or b it does nothing so I hit "p" to enter the privileged area I input what I entered in as the login PW when installing and the system just locks/hangs there and does nothing. When i tried to uninstall it through Windows via the uninstaller in the folder and through the control panel nothing happens.

    Now this wouldnt be so bad but now my system keeps giving me the option to boot into Kubuntu (obviously a flawed installation) and I'm unaware on how to revert the system boot file to remove the Linux option (I knew how in XP but its not the same in Vista), any info that could be suggested to fix this issue as well would be appreciated. The biggest reason I bring this up is in case its related to my first issue.

    Thank you for reading this post and to any help that can be offered.

    #2
    Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

    So you want to remove Linux now?

    Could you summarize what you want it will make it easier for people to answer your questions.

    [mad]Berry
    Check out my website with Kubuntu how to's:  madberry.org

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

      No, I'd like to be able to install it, but I'm concerned that the flawed install through Windows might have caused an issue which isnt allowing me to install it otherwise through the Live CD, but if I cant get it installed then I'd at least like Vista to boot right up without the flawed install showing up on the OS choice list when booting up.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

        Unfortunately your link to the post is not valid and I do not really know what your problem is.

        I gathered that you did a kubuntu install from within windows - a so called wubi installation.

        And now you want to put kubuntu on your hard disk proper - a good move

        Please tell us about your computer. If it runs vista it must be a lightning fast machine with plenty of memory. You mentioned different hard disks - could you expand?

        Also, you mentioned 3 x 8GB partitions - what for (I am not suggesting that it is not a good idea, but am after more info)? Also, which programme did you use to do the partitioning?

        Sorry to bombard you with questions, but only an informed decision is a good decision (at least in computing ).
        Once your problem is solved please mark the topic of the first post as SOLVED so others know and can benefit from your experience! / FAQ

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

          I fixed the link in my first post to help shed some light on the first issue I had, I followed the instructions there to format etc, here it is again:
          http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3096828.0

          The Windows installation failed somehow and now I'm unable to have it properly uninstall to also remove the boot option when booting up.

          My comps specs:
          AMD Opteron 165 Dual Core
          Asus A8N32 SLI Deluxe
          2g Corsair XMS Ram DDR1
          Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Music
          EVGA nVidia 8800 GTS 640mb
          3 Hard Drives:

          250g SATA WD with Windows Vista Installation on it
          320g IDE WD used as storage (music, vids etc) and it has the main partition and then 3 ext3 partitions as referenced in the link above for /, /home, swap I used Gpart Live.
          400g SATA USB WB External also for storage

          The 320g IDE could easily be completely formatted if it would make things easier to use the whole disk, but you must remember I am new to Linux and its setup so if there is a requirement for multiple partitions then I would like some detailed info to go on.

          Added note, I have also tried Ubuntu and Linux Mint to attempt to install and they all gave the same problems about the operating system files mentioned in my first post

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

            A number of issues:

            1) to get rid of your wubi install, simply delete the fake drive that was created under windows and related, delete the Ubuntu entry in the windows bootloader (I had to do it on XP once but have never even seen a vista install).

            2) Read the first two points (Partition recommendations & Swap) of this link http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0 Further down rog also listed a number of tools - a live CD of gparted is your best bet (rog provided a link as well).

            Generally a Linux install requires a swap partition where it can store stuff that doesn't fit into ram (there is some windows equivalent, but the name escapes me...), a root partition which is signified by a slash (/) where the system goes and it is a good idea to have a separate home partition as well (/home).

            That should get you started. Partition your 320GB drive with the live CD, Reboot with the Kubuntu CD in the drive and go through the install process, making sure you choose "manual partitioning" when you come to it so you can assign your partitions properly.

            HTH
            Once your problem is solved please mark the topic of the first post as SOLVED so others know and can benefit from your experience! / FAQ

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

              I knew how to remove the entry in Windows XP as well but havent found out how for Vista yet (been trying many separate software and boot cd options with no success as of yet)

              As I stated I used the Gparted Live CD to format the partitions, 3 partitions all 3 were 8g a piece and they were formatted to EXT3 and Linux-Swap respectively.

              When I was on the final step of installation I selected all 3 drives and made sure they had been chosen for /, /home, and swap

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                Update:

                I finally was able to remove the Kubuntu boot option with the use of EasyBCD

                I will format my 320g HD to use with Linux if someone can post (or give a very detailed link) detailed instructions on how I should partition the drive (how many partitions, file system EX. EXT3, etc) and whatever detailed info I would need to perform a clean install of Linux.

                Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a PC novice when it comes to hardware and Windows related software but I have never messed with Linux and I feel its time I explore its potential for my personal use and home networking capabilities.

                Thank you for the replies thus far and I hope someone can help me get all this working.

                PS. If Kubuntu/Ubuntu is a more detail/coding oriented distro I am up for suggestions for what you guys think might be the more simplistic and NEW-user friendly distro of Linux to try. Thanks again

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                  Update 2:

                  Been reading a lot trying to find some answers etc to move this along quickly without so much assistance but I am documenting this here in case others are having issues like mine, and for a bit of confirmation from the pros here.

                  Here are some of the links I've been reading:

                  http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/
                  http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0
                  http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3096828.0
                  http://apcmag.com/how_to_dualboot_vi...rst.htm?page=4
                  http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=179902

                  Now, just to recap, these are the steps I will be taking (confirmations and clarifications are appreciated)

                  1. I will be formatting my secondary internal HD (320g IDE WD) into 3 partitions: /, /home, and swap
                  2. This is the partition sizes as best I understand them: / - 15360 (15g), swap - 4096 (4g as per the 2x ram mb formula), and /home consumes the rest of the HD
                  3. The / and /home partitions will be formatted to the EXT3 file system and the swap will be listed as "linux-swap" file system (Via Gparted 0.3.7-7 LiveCD)
                  4. Afterwards I will install Linux and choose manual on the hard drive selection area and select the appropriate partitions to match /, /home, and swap partitions
                  5. If all has gone well I think that should conclude the installation process and hopefully I've done everything correctly

                  I am going to do this now and hopefully next time I post or read this post I will be viewing it through Linux eyes with Mozilla Firefox browser.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                    Yes, that looks like a plan that should work, and thanks for laying it out for others to see!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                      Partition sizes seem reasonable. 2 gig swap I think is more than enough with the amount of quick ram you have and grub will load the OS very well. That will make a very quick PC under linux and OK'sh in Vista.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                        Yep, looks good and well thought out.
                        Your references are very good, also.
                        If after installing, you should have a little problem with your dual boot working (which is normal and not uncommon), I'll drop another reference here for GRUB:

                        How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
                        http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0

                        (and, of course, you can always posts questions back here, as you know)

                        But it looks like it should go well.
                        An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way. Charles Bukowski

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                          Well I did as I stated in my previous post and I still get the error message "The installer needs to remove operating system files from the install target, but was unable to do so. The install cannot continue."

                          There is no way there are any system files on the drive, the partitions and entire drive were partitioned in Gparted just moments prior to the installation attempt (I formatted the drive as a whole as EXT3 file format then made the partitions and set them as swap, ext3, ext3 accordingly

                          The only thing I can think to try from here is to format the drive again, and unplug the primary HD from the computer (250g SATA) and let the Linux installer attempt to use the entire 320g IDE and let it run without a manual selection.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                            The installer is undoubtedly pointing itself to the Windows drive (perhaps an IDE drive?) while you have prepared the other drive (perhaps a SATA drive?).

                            You might have an easier time just pulling the power connector off the Windows drive while you do the Kubuntu installation -- one would think you could merely disable it, or lower its priority, in BIOS, but my experience indicates otherwise.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Completely new Linux user having several install problems, please advise!

                              To further clarify my actions I went ahead and unplugged my other 2 HD's (the 250g SATA Primary HD with Vista 32, and the 400g SATA USB Storage) and only had the 320g IDE drive plugged in.

                              I went ahead and tried to do a manual install like before and again I got the OS files error so then I chose the second/middle option (forget the exact name) that allows you to use the entire disk and everything started to install without an issue, I'm now at 100% installation with the prompt for me to reboot.

                              I may still need more assistance with this as with all the issues so far I think it would be too much to hope for clear sailing just yet, but so far so good.

                              Comment

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