VL 6.0 Standard Final Installation Problem

[Martin109]

I’m having problems installing VL 6.0  Standard Final.

The laptop I’m trying to install it on is a relatively new Compaq Evo, 512 RAM, 40Gb HDD.

I’m aiming for a clean install, so have partitioned the disk as follows:

Partition #1   ext3, 7.81GB, boot
Partition #2   ext3, 28.81GB
Partition #3   linux swap, 549.1Mb

When I return to installer from Gparted, the sizes are shown as:

8390Mb
30.9Gb
576Mb

When I’ve run the installer, various things have happened.  The most common is that the current activity bar gets to very near the end of ‘Installing base system programs’ and a window comes up, stating ‘Failed to install [whatever task it’s trying to do]’.  Sometimes, when OK is clicked, it will proceed to the next part of the installation, but again, near the end of the current task, will show the error message again.  Sooner or later, it’ll state the installation has failed, and will then hang.  Once, the installation proceeded, despite failure at each task, until installing the optional component vlnvidia, when the message ‘This application has raised an unexpected error and must abort. [37] Device is full  MdlInstallSys.?.0’, and then hangs.

I’ve got around 8Gb for Linux to install, whereas the stated minimum requirement is 3.8Gb or so.

Previous experience of installing (VL5.9)  on other machines has suggested that sometimes it plays ball and sometimes it doesn’t, but this is persisting in not playing ball!  I don’t know why. 

Any ideas?

[bigpaws]

Have you tried using the text installer?

After boot and at the point in which you can boot with options type the
word linux.

HTH

Bigpaws

[sledgehammer]

I prefer the old installer, so I second Bigpaws.

I am curious why you don't have swap on the first partition.   I have never tried putting it last (usually, I go swap on 1, root/programs on 2 and home/data on 3).  That being said, I know of no reason not to put swap last.

If switching to the old installer doesn't work, I would burn another install disk and try that. 

[Martin109]

Thank you, bigpaws, and sledgehammer!  That's worked (though I confess I don't know why), and I'm posting this having successfully connected to the net on the new system!

There's just one little niggle.  The laptop has a 14" screen, which is damaged, thereby making it very difficult, in places impossible to read.  However, with the previous similar laptop, I have been used to plugging in a 19" screen I have, and this has worked well - once VL is up and running, just close the laptop lid and everything used to display beautifully on the 19".

This time round, however, I'm getting the 14" display showing in the top left corner of the 19" screen, ie covering about 3/4 of the screen, but I want it to enlarge to the whole screen.

[Edit] I've asked this screen question in a different thread.