Bug 166703

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Description of problem:
CD installation of FC4.  I get to the point where it's writing the partition table and formatting the partitions, and the installation fails immediately with the following error message.

error: Error: Error informing the kernel about modifications to partition /dev/hda3 - Device or resource busy.  This means Linux won't know about any changes you made to /dev/hda3 until you reboot - so you shouldn't mount it or use it in any way before rebooting.



Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):


How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
This is from a CD install.  I put in the Fedora Core 4 disc #1 and booted. At the  boot prompt, I type "mediacheck," which gets an error, of course. I then type "linux mediacheck" and check the CD, which passes.  I then start the install.  The initial Q&A goes normally:  keyboard, mouse, language, and I choose "workstation install."  Then, I get to partitioning.  This machine is a dual boot machine with a 10 GB WinXP partition, a 100 MB /boot partition, a 10 GB Linux partition (RedHat WS) and a 50 GB VFAT parition.  I choose "remove all Linux partitions" and I choose "automatically partition."  The partitioning scheme it chooses is:

hda1   NTFS  (WinXP)
hda2   /boot  
hda3   LVM PV  (10 GB)
hda4   extended
hda5   VFAT  50 GB
hda6   VFAT  102 MB

There are two logical volumes made from the PV, namely swap (1GB) and / (9GB).  Everything looks fine, though I find hda6 somewhat puzzling.  The 50GB vfat partition is intended to be shared between the two OSes.

We then continue on through setting the bootloader password, confirming DHCP, declining a firewall, setting root password, and selecting packages (I chose the  default).  All of which proceeds normally; I've done this dozens of times.

Next, we get to the climactic point of no return, and I click on "go ahead."  The error then happens *immediately*, and it says:

error: Error: Error informing the kernel about modifications to partition /dev/hda3 - Device or resource busy.  This means Linux won't know about any changes you made to /dev/hda3 until you reboot - so you shouldn't mount it or use it in any way before rebooting.

I get two options:  ignore or cancel. If I choose ignore, the installation fails anyhow.  No changes were made to the partitions, since I'm able to boot into the old system normally.

I set up the partitions by myself once, and got the same error, so it's not the automatic partitioning that fails.  If I recall correctly, if I use a rescue CD, and delete all the linux partitions and then tell it to use the free space, I think that works.  If it's important, I'll try this, but I want to post this bug before too much time passes.

Note that the code is running on a Gateway 4100; I don't know if it's hardware-dependent.


Actual Results:  I get two options:  ignore or cancel. If I choose ignore, the installation fails anyhow.  I get a chance to save the system state to a floppy; I've attached that below.

No changes were made to the partitions, since I'm able to boot into the old system normally.


Expected Results:  It should have said "formatting / " and then started installing packages.


Additional info: