Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 63372
anaconda "SysVinit" error/crash after setting root password
Last modified: 2007-04-18 12:41:57 EDT
From Bugzilla Helper: User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.0; T312461) Description of problem: After setting the root password in the installer and trying to go to the next screen, I get an unhandled exception and the installer crashes. I've always queried the bug database for errors, but I couldn't find anything quite similar, so here's the new report. I also have a dump from anaconda, though I don't see where I can attach it yet.. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Start machine up with install CD#1, and start install (either regular install, or "linux ide=nodma" -- doesn't matter). 2. Select all defaults (except "system uses UTC" for time zone and "High security" for firewall). 3. Enter your zuper-sekkrit root password, verify, and innocently try to continue the installation. Actual Results: anaconda crashes, tells me to save the crash dump to a floppy and report it here. Expected Results: It should've gone on to the "Package Group Selection" screen. Additional info: Dual boot system w/ Win2K Pro in front on an NTFS partition, and 2.4 GB of unallocated free space in the next partition, if that matters. Told the installer to put GRUB at the beginning of the /boot partition that it made for the install (not the MBR). The lines in the anacdump.txt (where can I upload this?) that stood out to me, though I'm not exactly sure what they mean, are the following: Traceback (innermost last): [some details here] KeyError: SysVinit Local variables in innermost frame: self: <comps.HeaderListFromFile instance at 856dea0> item: SysVinit .. and at the end, a bunch of "DriveReady SeekComplete" Errors on hdc. Yes, the CDs are burned from the ISO on the ftp site, and I'm pretty sure the md5sums matched (my friend burned them for me, and he's pretty thorough). At least assume they do. I have conistently had problems with the installer, and this is just one of three main errors I usually get. I've actually gotten further into the installation process than this step before, but never past the saving of the installation image to the hard disk (i.e., some error like "not enough drive space?" even though there is). I guess I'll file a seperate report for that one. Just please don't tell me I can't install Linux with my configuration -- if there are people who can install it on toasters and watches, I can get it up and running on my comp..
Created attachment 53692 [details] anaconda "SysVinit" error/crash dump.
Just to add more details that may or may not matter: After I tell it to auto-partition, I consistently get a message that the boot partition /boot may not meet booting constraints for my architecture. I take this to mean that boot partitions past the nth partition might not boot. I don't think this is very important right now, as I just want to get it installed first and see for myself. I've always ignored this warning. After it auto-partitions, the / partition has about 2.1 GB of space, and the other .3 GB are divvied up between the boot partition and the extended/swap partition(s). There still should be enough space for an install with Gnome only, which I usually attempted when I actually got past the root password screen. But I'll file another report for that one when I get there again.. I set the ntsf partition with Win2K Pro on it as the default boot image, and tell it to install the boot loader (GRUB) record on the first sector of hda1 (the /boot partition). The last non-error message I see on the screen after clicking "Next" on the root password screen is "Reading Package Info". And that's when it crashes. Wow.. do I win the "most detailed bug report" award, or what?
> I take this to mean that boot partitions past the nth partition might not boot Er.. s/partition/cylinder/ ...
There are a lot of errors reading the CD-ROM in the syslog. Are these CDs you burned yourself? If so, do the md5sums match those published on our ftp site?
I didn't burn them myself, my friend did, and the ISO's are on his computer, if he didn't delete them. He's miles away and probably asleep by now, and I doubt that he even kept the ISO's. I'm starting to think the burns were bad, and I remember him saying that the CDs he used were cheap.. I'm currently downloading the ISO's to an ext2 partition I just created and preparing to install from the HD.. *hopefully* this will work. Before this case is closed -- if the ISO md5sums did match, is the problem definitely the CD?
Let us know if this is a problem when y'all reburn the CDs and check the md5sums.