Install freeze / hang / stopped at Setting keyboard options

[mikecolley]

Subject: Install freeze / hang / stopped at Setting keyboard options during Installation of 64bit Cinnamon LMDE201403

This is boring because of all the details, sorry. This is good because all the details. Surely I'm not the only one with this problem installing LMDE.

My HP 8730w laptop has no spinning HD (no disk) and no EFI/UEFI, no M$....
I bought a new Sandisk pendrive ultra (USB3).
Downloaded 64bit Cinnamon LMDE 201403, md5 was good.
Installed this LMDE201403 live image on an old 16Gig pendrive with dd. Live session on the 16Gig pendrive works perfectly.
Plugged in my new 32Gig ultra pendrive intending to install LMDE201403 on the new pendrive. 31 GB Volume icon automatically shows up on desktop. Nemo shows up automatically displaying the files in the pendrive.
I doubleclick Install Linux Mint.
US language is ok so I click Forward.
Timezone... I click America/Chicago then Forward.
Keyboard layout... I leave as is and click Forward.
User info... name...Mike username...mike password...xxxx...xxxx Hostname...32g-lmde and then I click Forward.
Hard Drive...(x)Install Linux Mint on the selected drive... I clicked /dev/sdb then Forward.
Partitioning... left click /dev/sdb1 then right click /dev/sdb1 and left click assign to / then I click Forward
(note: it says /dev/sdb1 Type...fat32 Mountpoint.../ Format?...ext4 Size...29553 Free Space...26893 and I expect to wipe this 32Gig clean).
Advanced options...I uncheck ( )Install GRUB and click Forward(this install fails if checked or not checked).
Summary...all looks well so I click Install.
Installing Linux Mint...After 10 seconds the text in the bottom left of the window says

Setting keyboard options

and it never changes, even by the time I get up the next morning, it is still Setting keyboard options. I re-boot and the new ultra 32Gig pendrive is apparently still in original condition with all the original files that were on it still there. No LMDE201403 installed. The live session 16Gig pendrive is still working perfectly.

Comment: This sounds harsh but it is intended to provide guidance and be helpful, please read carefully. I was _apprehensive_ (surprised and lost) about the LMDE install because I didn't know what to do at the Partitioning screen. This screen confused/scared me, would I blow up the pendrive? A linux newbie wouldn't know what to do at this screen. This is a screen that needs more helpful information and direction on it. I wasn't sure what to do with/on this screen and I'm not a linux newbie. I'll bet this is where I made a mistake in the install. There was no direction for what I should do and simply clicking Forward gave me the pop-up telling me "Please select a root partition" but there was no help to show what the result and difference was in the available choices. Mint Ubuntu versions installed easily and didn't ask for this. It seems that because I'm not a partitioning knowledgeable person I'm not able to use LMDE. Thus this post. Same thing happened a year ago with LMDE201303 so I gave up on it. I was forced into Ubuntu versions of Mint that just plain worked. LMDE could have a choice here that says "Just make it work". This is a guess on my part, but I'll bet confusion caused by this ONE screen is why LMDE is not more popular among newbies.

Please don't expect an immediate and quick response from me, I'll check this thread later tonight and tomorrow when I come home after work. Maybe someone knows what I did wrong.

Thank You All for your time and help. I like Mint because it "just works and Cinnamon makes sense". Hats off to Clem and all the team, Thank You Clem and all.

[Monsta]

I uncheck ( )Install GRUB

You don't want your new system to boot? Or do you have grub installed somewhere already?

Installing Linux Mint...After 10 seconds the text in the bottom left of the window says

Setting keyboard options

and it never changes, even by the time I get up the next morning, it is still Setting keyboard options.

Seems like there are some problems with installing to USB flash drives. This is not the first report about it.
To help troubleshoot this, run the installer from the terminal:

Code: Select all

gksu live-installer

and when it stops, post the output from the terminal here.

A linux newbie wouldn't know what to do at this screen.

LMDE is not for Linux newbies. Please read the FAQ at this page (item 4).

There was no direction for what I should do and simply clicking Forward gave me the pop-up telling me "Please select a root partition"

Yes, that popup tells you to select a root partition, and there's a list of partitions to choose from. What's the problem?

[mikecolley]

ThankYou Monsta!

I left checked:
Advanced options...I did not change check (x)Install GRUB and click Forward
This for personal use, my only boot device/disk. No other place to put GRUB. Actually I will post a question about this in a separate post later.

I am using this Sandisk ultra (usb3) as a test before I commit to huge USB3 3T USB disk for personal use only. I am installing to a 32Gig USB3 device from a live 16Gig USB2.

You requested output when the installer is run from the command line. Here it is.

Code: Select all

mint@mint ~ $ 
mint@mint ~ $ 
mint@mint ~ $ 
mint@mint ~ $ 
mint@mint ~ $ gksu live-installer
glibtop: Non-standard uts for running kernel:
release 3.11-2-amd64=3.11.0 gives version code 199424

Color: #550000
Image: /usr/share/live-installer/timezone/timezone_-10.0.png
Coords: 165.0 169.0
Closest timezone America/Indiana/Indianapolis
Color: #ff2a2a
Image: /usr/share/live-installer/timezone/timezone_-5.0.png
Color: #ff2a2a
Image: /usr/share/live-installer/timezone/timezone_-5.0.png
Coords: 165.0 157.0
Closest timezone America/Rainy_River
Color: #ff0001
Image: /usr/share/live-installer/timezone/timezone_-6.0.png
Color: #ff0001
Image: /usr/share/live-installer/timezone/timezone_-6.0.png
 ## INSTALLATION 
Template path: /usr/share/live-installer/slideshow/template.html
Content path does not exist: /usr/share/live-installer/slideshow/office.html
 --> Installation started
EXECUTING: 'mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1'
 --> Mounting partitions
 ------ Mounting /lib/live/mount/medium/live/filesystem.squashfs on /source/
EXECUTING: 'mount -o loop -t squashfs /lib/live/mount/medium/live/filesystem.squashfs /source/'
 ------ Mounting partition /dev/sdb1 on /target/
EXECUTING: 'mount -t ext4 /dev/sdb1 /target'
 --> Indexing files
 --> Copying files
  File "/usr/lib/live-installer/installer.py", line 188, in init_install
    self.do_copy_file(sourcepath, targetpath)
 --> Writing hostname
 --> Setting the locale
chroot /target/ /bin/sh -c "locale-gen"
chroot /target/ /bin/sh -c "update-locale LANG='en_US.UTF-8'"
chroot /target/ /bin/sh -c "update-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8"
 --> Setting the timezone
 --> Localizing packages
 --> Setting the keyboard
  File "/usr/lib/live-installer/installer.py", line 389, in finish_install
    consolefh = open("/target/etc/default/console-setup", "r")

I won't be able to check back until after work tonight.

Once again, Thank You kindly for your help. - Mike

[Monsta]

Looks like the installer is having serious problems with installing to USB flash drives. It fails in the same way as reported before. I don't know what to do with it, so I just reported this issue on github.