[gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[James]

Well,

I just got this new HP A8 laptop.

After setting up the default windows, I modified
the bios boot order to use the internal DVD. Then
I  inserted a 12.0 lived DVD. It put for
small gentoo symbols across the top, then went
blank after 3 minutes. The DVD drive was very active
for about 5 minutes then silence?


Any suggestions or install guides are most welcome.
It's been a few years since I installed Gentoo on
a laptop and lots has change. Right now, I'm downloading
the 12.1 liveDVD to see if it will boot that. Both
were the amd64-multilib version. The lived DVD work
on other (older) 64amd machines I have.....
If not then its on to to knoppix or ubuntu to
see it will boot any linux distro.

Years ago, when I last did a dual boot install, there
was a windows method for shrinking the windows
partition. Then I repartitioned the drive and put
gentoo on those new partitions. Has that approached,
using grub changed?  The guides I seen to be finding
via google, look dated.

It a dv7 model AtB11UA (6C23CL?) from Costco. I got a week
or 2 to get the dual boot working correctly, or it
goes back to Costco; so any advice is welcome.


Any feedback is welcome. 

[gentoo-user] Re: HP A8 laptop install

[walt]

On 05/14/2012 12:12 PM, James wrote:
> Well,
> 
> I just got this new HP A8 laptop.
> 
> After setting up the default windows, I modified
> the bios boot order to use the internal DVD. Then
> I  inserted a 12.0 lived DVD. It put for
> small gentoo symbols across the top, then went
> blank after 3 minutes. The DVD drive was very active
> for about 5 minutes then silence?
> 
> 
> Any suggestions or install guides are most welcome.
> It's been a few years since I installed Gentoo on
> a laptop and lots has change. Right now, I'm downloading
> the 12.1 liveDVD to see if it will boot that. Both
> were the amd64-multilib version. The lived DVD work
> on other (older) 64amd machines I have.....
> If not then its on to to knoppix or ubuntu to
> see it will boot any linux distro.
> 
> Years ago, when I last did a dual boot install, there
> was a windows method for shrinking the windows partition.

Amazing but true.  In their help manual there is a section
about Disk Management, where you should see "Shrink a Basic
Volume".

> Then I repartitioned the drive and put
> gentoo on those new partitions. Has that approached,
> using grub changed?  The guides I seen to be finding
> via google, look dated.
> 
> I got a week
> or 2 to get the dual boot working correctly, or it
> goes back to Costco; so any advice is welcome.

For the same reason I decided to leave the factory boot block
alone and used the free downloadable BCDEdit utility to add
a second item to the Windows boot menu.  Really nifty, it
even lets you chainload grub from there.  When you install
grub, just remember to put its boot block on your gentoo
partition, not the Windows partition.

Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[ny6p01]

On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 07:12:34PM +0000, James wrote:
> Well,
> 
> I just got this new HP A8 laptop.
> 
> After setting up the default windows, I modified
> the bios boot order to use the internal DVD. Then
> I  inserted a 12.0 lived DVD. It put for
> small gentoo symbols across the top, then went
> blank after 3 minutes. The DVD drive was very active
> for about 5 minutes then silence?
> 
> 
> Any suggestions or install guides are most welcome.
> It's been a few years since I installed Gentoo on
> a laptop and lots has change. Right now, I'm downloading
> the 12.1 liveDVD to see if it will boot that. Both
> were the amd64-multilib version. The lived DVD work
> on other (older) 64amd machines I have.....
> If not then its on to to knoppix or ubuntu to
> see it will boot any linux distro.
> 
> Years ago, when I last did a dual boot install, there
> was a windows method for shrinking the windows
> partition. Then I repartitioned the drive and put
> gentoo on those new partitions. Has that approached,
> using grub changed?  The guides I seen to be finding
> via google, look dated.
> 
> It a dv7 model AtB11UA (6C23CL?) from Costco. I got a week
> or 2 to get the dual boot working correctly, or it
> goes back to Costco; so any advice is welcome.

You can install Gentoo using any linux live CD. I recommend the minimal
install CD. There's not much it won't boot on. ;)

Terry

Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[Stroller]

On 14 May 2012, at 20:12, James wrote:
> …
> I  inserted a 12.0 lived DVD. It put for
> small gentoo symbols across the top, then went
> blank after 3 minutes. The DVD drive was very active
> for about 5 minutes then silence?
> 
> Any suggestions or install guides are most welcome.

I boot from a SystemRescueCD and follow the Gentoo quick install guide.

This has never failed me.

Stroller.

Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[ny6p01]

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On Tue, May 15, 2012 at 01:27:25AM +0100, Stroller wrote:
> 
> On 14 May 2012, at 20:12, James wrote:
> > ?
> > I  inserted a 12.0 lived DVD. It put for
> > small gentoo symbols across the top, then went
> > blank after 3 minutes. The DVD drive was very active
> > for about 5 minutes then silence?
> > 
> > Any suggestions or install guides are most welcome.
> 
> I boot from a SystemRescueCD and follow the Gentoo quick install guide.
> 
> This has never failed me.
> 
> Stroller.

The QIG is for 'experts.' I don't know what the OP's level of expertise with
Gentoo is, but you can easily lose your way with the QIG if you don't know
what you're doing. JMHO!

The official Install Guide has never failed me using the minimal install CD.
You can really use any CD you have, the process stays the same.

Terry

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Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[Mick]

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On Tuesday 15 May 2012 01:27:25 Stroller wrote:
> On 14 May 2012, at 20:12, James wrote:
> > …
> > I  inserted a 12.0 lived DVD. It put for
> > small gentoo symbols across the top, then went
> > blank after 3 minutes. The DVD drive was very active
> > for about 5 minutes then silence?
> > 
> > Any suggestions or install guides are most welcome.
> 
> I boot from a SystemRescueCD and follow the Gentoo quick install guide.
> 
> This has never failed me.

+1 for the SystemRescueCD which tends to be kept more up to date that the 
Gentoo LiveCD used to be.

If there is a possibility of having to re-expand the MSWindows partition and 
taking it back to Costco I would recommend reading an old thread of mine here:

  http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/226452/focus=226560


If you don't want to read the whole thread, you'll have to at least read this 
message where I explain how to edit the MSWindows boot menu:

  http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/226452/focus=226560


Unlike other bootloaders it does not interfere much with the original 
installation and you can easily reverse the edits in the MSWindows boot menu 
and re-expand the original partition before you return the laptop to Costco.

-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[Alex Schuster]

Stroller writes:

> I boot from a SystemRescueCD and follow the Gentoo quick install guide.
> 
> This has never failed me.

For me it did, half a year ago, several packages failed to build due to
strange libtool errors. It took me some days until I found the solution:
unset path.

Libtool uses this variable without unsetting it before, and SystemRescueCD
defines it as environment variable, which is still available in the
chroot. This messed things up a lot.

Apart from that, I really like SystemRescueCD.

	Wonko

Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[Hinnerk van Bruinehsen]

On 15.05.2012 11:11, Alex Schuster wrote:
> Stroller writes:
> 
>> I boot from a SystemRescueCD and follow the Gentoo quick install guide.
>>
>> This has never failed me.
> 
> For me it did, half a year ago, several packages failed to build due to
> strange libtool errors. It took me some days until I found the solution:
> unset path.
> 
> Libtool uses this variable without unsetting it before, and SystemRescueCD
> defines it as environment variable, which is still available in the
> chroot. This messed things up a lot.
> 
> Apart from that, I really like SystemRescueCD.
> 
> 	Wonko
> 

Did you do env-update && . /etc/profile after entering chroot?
I always thought that setting the right environment variables was the
purpose of that.

I personally an Ubuntu-Live-Thumbdrive, because some time ago (2 years
or so) it wasn't possible to install gentoo with LUKS on a btrfs volume
from the gentoo minimal cd.

The advantage of a live cd (especially for a beginner) is the
possibility to read the manual and google problems while installing.
Another possibility to do that would be an installation via ssh (works
nice too).

Re: [gentoo-user] HP A8 laptop install

[Alex Schuster]

Hinnerk van Bruinehsen writes:

> On 15.05.2012 11:11, Alex Schuster wrote:
>> Stroller writes:
>>
>>> I boot from a SystemRescueCD and follow the Gentoo quick install guide.
>>>
>>> This has never failed me.
>>
>> For me it did, half a year ago, several packages failed to build due to
>> strange libtool errors. It took me some days until I found the solution:
>> unset path.
>>
>> Libtool uses this variable without unsetting it before, and SystemRescueCD
>> defines it as environment variable, which is still available in the
>> chroot. This messed things up a lot.
[...]
> Did you do env-update && . /etc/profile after entering chroot?
> I always thought that setting the right environment variables was the
> purpose of that.

Sure. But this only _sets_ some environment variables - it does not
unset any other variables you already have defined.

The error is in libtool - it uses a variable without unsetting it first.

	Wonko

[gentoo-user] Re: HP A8 laptop install

[James]

Mick <michaelkintzios <at> gmail.com> writes:


> Unlike other bootloaders it does not interfere much with the original 
> installation and you can easily reverse the edits in the MSWindows boot menu 
> and re-expand the original partition before you return the laptop to Costco.


OK thanks for all the input from everyone. If I have more questions, 
I'll post a new thread. The install is intermittent, at best,
due to my workload .......


James