LMDE Install problems unacceptable
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:28 pm
I must have installed at least 20 different Linuxes over the last few years.
NONE have been as problematic as LMDE 1303.
The installation process feels like an early, very buggy, beta app!
After about 5 attempts, I have now a partially successful install - with a great deal of web searching involved. At least I can boot and run all the apps, and I'm hopeful that I will be able to resolve the problems reading my RAID.
- The main problem was freezing at random points during installation (after setup). This was solved by removing the Ubiquity Slideshow before installing (run 'sudo apt-get remove ubiquity-slideshow-mint' from the live CD).
- The other problems are related to file system setup.
The install process nowhere tells you how to specify mount points for partitions. With trial and error, you find that AFTER you've set up the partitions and exited gparted you need to double-click or right click a partition and select a mount point (using edit if you want a directory such as /boot). NOT user friendly.
If you have a RAID (even if it's not your installation drive), your problems will be much greater. Unlike other LMs, the RAID is NOT automatically recognised (mdadm is not part of the live CD installation) - and gparted gives error messages when it tries to read the RAID elements. I am fortunate - my system boots from a separate SSD, so I can install just to that and deal with setting up the RAID after reboot(s). This means I can select 'cancel' on the gparted error messages and install normally.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ONLY EXPERTS ATTEMPT TO INSTALL LMDE 1303 TO BOOT FROM A RAID.
As my system is dual boot, and I want both Windows and LMDE to read an existing Intel fake RAID partition, I am struggling to get this working without wiping the RAID volume. I thought I had succeeded - and now I find that it's reverting to read only on reboot, and so won't mount ...
This is a stark contrast to my previous install of LM Mate 14.1 - where the RAID was recognised and treated like any other disk during the install process.
Given that Mint is intended as a newby friendly OS, this is just not acceptable. Intel fake RAID is not uncommon for only moderately advanced Windows users, and the frustration of trying to resolve this will definitely discourage them from moving to LM, particularly if they want a dual boot system (as nearly all will).
At the very least, the LMDE download page should carry a warning that using RAID requires advanced Linux skills.
Much better would be to rename this distribution as beta, and get to work fixing the install system - both the slideshow problem and the RAID issues are well documented on the web (but the RAID solutions are a little hard to find ...).
A little investigation into how such a problematic system was released would also be wise - we wouldn't want it to happen again!
NONE have been as problematic as LMDE 1303.
The installation process feels like an early, very buggy, beta app!
After about 5 attempts, I have now a partially successful install - with a great deal of web searching involved. At least I can boot and run all the apps, and I'm hopeful that I will be able to resolve the problems reading my RAID.
- The main problem was freezing at random points during installation (after setup). This was solved by removing the Ubiquity Slideshow before installing (run 'sudo apt-get remove ubiquity-slideshow-mint' from the live CD).
- The other problems are related to file system setup.
The install process nowhere tells you how to specify mount points for partitions. With trial and error, you find that AFTER you've set up the partitions and exited gparted you need to double-click or right click a partition and select a mount point (using edit if you want a directory such as /boot). NOT user friendly.
If you have a RAID (even if it's not your installation drive), your problems will be much greater. Unlike other LMs, the RAID is NOT automatically recognised (mdadm is not part of the live CD installation) - and gparted gives error messages when it tries to read the RAID elements. I am fortunate - my system boots from a separate SSD, so I can install just to that and deal with setting up the RAID after reboot(s). This means I can select 'cancel' on the gparted error messages and install normally.
I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ONLY EXPERTS ATTEMPT TO INSTALL LMDE 1303 TO BOOT FROM A RAID.
As my system is dual boot, and I want both Windows and LMDE to read an existing Intel fake RAID partition, I am struggling to get this working without wiping the RAID volume. I thought I had succeeded - and now I find that it's reverting to read only on reboot, and so won't mount ...
This is a stark contrast to my previous install of LM Mate 14.1 - where the RAID was recognised and treated like any other disk during the install process.
Given that Mint is intended as a newby friendly OS, this is just not acceptable. Intel fake RAID is not uncommon for only moderately advanced Windows users, and the frustration of trying to resolve this will definitely discourage them from moving to LM, particularly if they want a dual boot system (as nearly all will).
At the very least, the LMDE download page should carry a warning that using RAID requires advanced Linux skills.
Much better would be to rename this distribution as beta, and get to work fixing the install system - both the slideshow problem and the RAID issues are well documented on the web (but the RAID solutions are a little hard to find ...).
A little investigation into how such a problematic system was released would also be wise - we wouldn't want it to happen again!