Mageia 6 install problem

[EMDIII]

Hello, I'm new to the group and Linux OS as well. That being said here's what happened. I have an old HP Mini running Windows XP. My plan was to install Mageia 6 on it and it seemed to be going well until I got to a screen asking for my user name and password. I put in the user name, the when it asked for a password it would not allow a password input. Finally after a couple of attempts the computer screen went blank and it will not boot in Windows or Mageia.

Ok, I turned the computer back on this morning and I'm in the boot menu. I input my user name and the same thing happens. I can't get beyond this window. I have tried to edit and command line options with the same results. So I don't know what to do from here.

Ed

[doktor5000]

Hi there, this sounds pretty confusing.
Regarding your first point, so the installation did not complete, it was basically interrupted at this step http://doc.mageia.org/installer/6/en/co ... dUser.html ?
Also what media did you use to install Mageia 6, one of the live DVD or the free DVD or ... ?

For your second point, in the boot screen you don't input a user name, you only select an operating system to boot. It would help if you could attach a picture of the screen you are referring to.
But if my assumption of your first point is correct, then the installation did not complete at all and it's unclear what screen you're seeing at all.

[EMDIII]

Hello and thanks for your reply. I'm using the free DVD attached to a magazine. You are correct in that the install did not complete. This morning when I turned the power button on I got the option to boot to the DVD drive and so I did. I'm now back in the installation process and if I run into further trouble I'll take a picture to help those of you kind enough to help out.

I'll post again to let you know how it went.

Thanks again.

Ed

[EMDIII]

Ok here is where I'm at. I'm at a window that says,"Please halt your computer, remove your live system, and restart your computer."

How do I halt my computer and how do I remove my live system? Don't mean to be so dense but this is all new to me. I have 3 removable volumes not mounted yet. One named 52GB Volume, one labeled 104GB Volume and named Mageia which is the DVD from which loaded Mageia. I also have an install on hard disk Icon.

Thanks,

Ed

[benmc]

Hi

your installation media is "live media" type.

"Please halt your computer, remove your live system, and restart your computer."

means to power down the computer using the menu entry "shutdown" or "power off". (I am not sure which of the Desktop Media you are using and they use different wording).
when the power is off, remove the USB stick.
If using a DVD, reboot and eject the dvd, then choose boot Mageia and continue the installation.

you will be asked for a "root" password, 2 fields.

then lower down a user identity and 2 more password fields. use a different password to the "root" password. take a note of both passwords.

if the root password pair mis-match or the user password pair mis-match, you will not be able to proceed.

after this you will be presented with the display manager greeter and this requires your user identity and password

[EMDIII]

Thanks for your reply. That's a big help. I will give it a try tomorrow. I'll post a reply to let you know how it went.

Ed

[EMDIII]

Okay I followed your instructions and I ended up at a what looks like a black terminal window which is asking for my user id and password. I input what I thought was my id, the next prompt is to input the password and I end up back at input user id. I can't get past this page. I have also been referencing the install instruction page but I don't see this situation. I tried to attach a photo but I'm going to have to figure that out later.

I'm starting to think Linux may not be fore me. I was under the impression it was much easier to install but after several attempts at the install I have not had any luck. But thanks for the help to all who applied to my post.

Ed

[benmc]

from what you are describing, it appears that the display manager is not starting.

Please advise which live media did you install, KDE/Plasma, Gnome or XFCE.
how much ram does your system have?
What type of video card do you have?

[EMDIII]

Hello Benmc,

The computer I'm using is an old HP Mini
Intel Anteum 2600/1.6GHz
Dual Core
L2-1MB
2GB DDR3 SDRAM
Intel GMA 3600 Grapichs

I used a CD to install XFCE

Thanks for your reply

[benmc]

I'm starting to think Linux may not be fore me. I was under the impression it was much easier to install but after several attempts at the install I have not had any luck

This is always disappointing.
it is likely something minor that is causing problems.
(back in the day I re-installed Win95 so many times, I can still remember the windows authentification code today!)

is this the sort of thing you are seeing?

Code: Select all

some text regarding Mageia version and kernel stuff

localhost login: testing
password:
login incorrect
localhost login:

in this case I have attempted to login using a fictional user id.
I purposely entered the incorrect data to show what is happens.

or does something else happen?

try login as "root"

you should get some text with something like this:

Code: Select all

localhost login: root
Password:
[root@localhost ~]#


note the "#", this designates root / admin prompt.

[wintpe]

I think this is what your HP mini is

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/c03592389

ie intel atom 2600.

While this should run Mageia I must say that the general view that Linux will run well on old computers is a myth.

While we all welcome every new user to the Linux camp, I must stress that to get a good experience out of Linux you need to give it hardware that
you would buy for windows 7. There are some desktops that dont need as much resources, like XFCE, the underlying OS is becoming more and more demanding.

Id recommend that instead of using something from Linux format, which are mostly pro ubuntu, I would download the full DVD installer.

then you have the opportunity to pick alternative basic graphics (for example VESA) so you can better further your understanding of the problem.

Linux is a much more rewarding Operating system to use, you will learn so much more, and be less likely to be infected with virus's/malware.

regards peter

[marchugo]

Hi,

May I use this thread for reporting more or less the same issue?

This week I did a clean install of Mga 6 on a 64 bit machine (AMD Athlon 3000+, 3GB memory, 120 GB linux ext4 partition on hard disk). I used the Live DVD Plasma 64 bit in an optical disk drive. I downloaded the Live ISO on 4th of Nov. 2017, so I think it must be up to date.

All seemed to go well; during installation I could log in as user.

But: after restarting the system later, I was not greeted by the ssdm greeter. Instead I was presented with a blueish Mageia screen that has two choices:
- Mageia (in white charcters)
- Advanced option for Mageia.

Using return on both of the options, does not result in anything else than presenting me a black terminal window. It shows something like this:

localhost login:
password:
login incorrect
localhost login:

Entering my user name + password returns the message: login incorrect.

I presumed that it is a root terminal. So I tried root and root pasword. Result: the screen of Mga 6 with five bubbling dots starts to become active.

And then, tot my surprise, the normal login screen with sddm greeter opens up. I have to login for the second time, but now as a normal user.

Mga 6 seems to operate normally after this second login. I could do the usual RPM upgrades (there were about 240 of them, all installing fine

But it gives me the uneasy feeling that things are not right. Is my system save? Why do I have to login as root first, and then again as user? I do not like to login as root, when I want to run my system as a normal user.

I changed to the XDM display manager, with the same result: the black login terminal window.

BTW: When loging in as root on the terminal window, I saw that the first line reads something like: "early console in extract-kernel" I'm am not very tech-savvy, so I do not know what this could mean. I tried to find this message in the boot logs, but can't find it. The strange boot up behaviour seems not to be reported in the logs at all?

As a happy long time user of Mandrake, Mandriva and Mageia, I never encountered such strange kind of booting behaviour after upgrading.

Is there a solution for this problem?

(Of course I tried to reinstall the Live system for more than three times, with no better result. I tested the ISO download for md5 errors, and again tested the DVD during burning for checksum errors. There were no errors, so I have to presume the Live ISO is healthy.

Any help would be great.

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

[arnesp]

My guess is that you inadvertently set up a password for the boot-loader.
If this is the case, you can remove it under "Set up boot system" in the Mageia Control Center (or change it to something different from your normal root password)

[isadora]

Hi arnep,

Thanks for your answer.
I didn't make a special bootloader login for root.
The installer asked me during the regular installation process to give a root password. I can find this p/w in MCC Bootloader (set up bootloader system). Is it save to remove the p/w there?

I just followed the steps of the installation procedure.

In my opinion deleting that password would not change the strange behaviour of the system (booting with the wrong Mageia boot Menu, and after that presenting a console to log in. See the attached pictures:

Mageia 6 boot menu.jpg (370.83 KiB) Viewed 10268 times

Mageia 6 boot console.jpg (215.86 KiB) Viewed 10268 times

What bothers me, as I mentioned, is this text line during booting: "early console in extract-kernel", followed by: "booted via startup_32"

Furthermore, I show you the first lines of the boot.log:

Code: Select all

#%G#%Grw,relatime,data=ordered
#%G[#[0;1;31mFAILED#[0m] Failed to start Load legacy module configuration.
See 'systemctl status fedora-loadmodules.service' for details.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Configure read-only root support.
         Starting Load/Save Random Seed...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Load/Save Random Seed.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started udev Kernel Device Manager.
         Starting Show Plymouth Boot Screen...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Journal Service.
         Starting Flush Journal to Persistent Storage...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Show Plymouth Boot Screen.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Forward Password Requests to Plymouth Directory Watch.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Flush Journal to Persistent Storage.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Found device Maxtor_6L200M0 4.
         Activating swap /dev/disk/by-uuid/9...7-2155-451a-848f-2334e902dff5...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Activated swap /dev/disk/by-uuid/9ff5ddc7-2155-451a-848f-2334e902dff5.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Reached target Swap.
         Mounting Temporary Directory...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Mounted Temporary Directory.
         Starting Show Plymouth Boot Screen...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Created slice system-configure\x2dprinter.slice.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Show Plymouth Boot Screen.
#%G[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Found device Maxtor_6L200M0 2.
         Starting File System Check on /dev/...a-76ef-4777-8f2d-87c1ffbec263...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Reached target Sound Card.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Listening on Load/Save RF Kill Switch Status /dev/rfkill Watch.
         Starting Load/Save RF Kill Switch Status...
         Starting Show Plymouth Boot Screen...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Show Plymouth Boot Screen.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started Load/Save RF Kill Switch Status.
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Started File System Check on /dev/d...2ea-76ef-4777-8f2d-87c1ffbec263.
         Mounting /boot...
[#[0;32m  OK  #[0m] Mounted /boot.

To me, this seems not to be a normal boot procedure?

Any clues?

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

[doktor5000]

In my opinion deleting that password would not change the strange behaviour of the system (booting with the wrong Mageia boot Menu, and after that presenting a console to log in. See the attached pictures:

No, it would only remove the bootloader password, which is not present in a default installation.

But what exactly do you mean with wrong Mageia boot Menu?

[marchugo]

Thanks Doktor. So I can safely remove the bootloader password. I'll give it a try tomorrow and will report how it works on my system.

What I mean with "wrong boot menu" is that in the first picture above, I cannot do anything. Choosing the first entry ('Mageia') results in the black boot console, which refuses to accept my user login name and user password.
Choosing the second entry ('advanced options') give the same result.
Choosing e (edit) or c (command line): same result: the console opens, and the only way to get into the system is via root password.

When I tested the live ISO (without installing) I was given a direct boot menu where I could type my user name and user p/w, and the systems boots up.

BTW: are those lines in my boot.log normal? If there's other information needed, I'll be glad to provide it.

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

[marchugo]

Thanks for your help, Arnesp and Doktor. I removed the root password for the bootloader. Now the system boots up nicely.

Question remains why the installer asks for a root password for the boot loader at all? This leads to confusion for unexperienced users. From a marketing point of view this may even disencourage newby's.

My question is solved. Not sure if the original poster EMDIII is satisfied, so I call this thread as DONE.

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

[doktor5000]

Question remains why the installer asks for a root password for the boot loader at all?

It does not, as already mentioned. If you do a default installation, you will not have a bootloader password, this is an optional field: http://doc.mageia.org/installer/6/en/co ... oader.html
If you set a password there, it seems curious to me that you would complain afterwards that a password is set, sorry but that doesn't add up.

[wintpe]

ive built so many mageia/mandrake/mandriva systems, and redhat, centos, slackware over the years it adds up to many thousands.

and ive never stumbled across a bootloader password option in the installer, i could not even tell you where the option is, id have to go and find it.

ive also described to many people how to install mageia and not one of them first time installers has set it.

I find it incredible that any first time users accidentally set this.

I think it is pretty well tucked away for most people.

regards peter

[doktor5000]

Hi Peter and all, pls drop me an email : edit doktor5000: mail adress removed for privacy reasons

I have a very complex and complicated Linux Mageia software issues which it is hard to describe here. It has to do the way Linux Mageia is designed. Thanks.

[marchugo]

Hi Peter,

The form for filling in a bootloader password is not tucked away. It comes up automatically in a graphical screen, at about two thirds of the GUI install procedure for the Live 64 bit Plasma installer. As Doktor has shown in the screen dump above.

As I said earlier, from a marketing point of view this may discourage first time users, because they are stuck in a console window that does not give too much info about how to proceed.

It's not at all obvious that you can skip this step.

Regards from a happy Mageia user in Amsterdam,

Marc.

[doktor5000]

Hi Peter and all, pls drop me an email : edit doktor5000: mail adress removed for privacy reasons

I have a very complex and complicated Linux Mageia software issues which it is hard to describe here. It has to do the way Linux Mageia is designed. Thanks.

Hi there,

sorry but that's not the way forums work. Please also do not publicly post your mail adress, if others wish to contact you, they can use the forum function to send mail or private messages.

[doktor5000]

As I said earlier, from a marketing point of view this may discourage first time users, because they are stuck in a console window that does not give too much info about how to proceed.

Marketing point of view? You are the first to consider this to be an issue, basically within the last 5-10 years at least.
And if you check the documentation, this is working exactly as intended, if you set a bootloader password then this is requested once you want to change bootloader configuration during boot. This is not required for normal booting. In case it does, I'd consider that to be a bug which should be reported.

On the other hand, what would you consider to be the solution here? Popup dialogs for each and every option that can possibly be chosen during the installer like "You are about to enable/disable feature <XYZ>. Do you really wish to proceed?"