Syslinux Problems on Arch Linux

[Deleted User]

I performed a USB Arch Linux installation using a virtual machine. I formated it as ext4, but then when it boot it said Unknown Filesystem "NTFS" I installed Arch fucking 6 times....

 

[Flame]

Arch is one hard Linux ditro to use. ive been using linux for years and years now but arch is something else. very complex, i dont even brother with it.

how is your setup..

also what do you want to do with Linux, so i have bit of an idea of what to recommend.

 

[Deleted User]

Can you fix the ntfs, btw im using the sys for desktop sandbox(do what shit i want)

Arch is one hard Linux ditro to use. ive been using linux for years and years now but arch is something else. very complex, i dont even brother with it.

how is your setup..

also what do you want to do with Linux, so i have bit of an idea of what to recommend.

 

[Flame]

Can you fix the ntfs, btw im using the sys for desktop sandbox(do what shit i want)

no, thats the thing i also tried to install arch on virtualbox a while back, i couldnt get it to work.

no help from arch people too. arch is for advanced users.


https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=175293


i recommend using Linux distro which works out of the box. if you want light weight BunsenLabs is the one i would use. https://www.bunsenlabs.org/installation.html

 

[Deleted User]

no, thats the thing i also tried to install arch on virtualbox a while back, i couldnt get it to work.

no help from arch people too. arch is for advanced users.


https://bbs.archlinux.org/
viewtopic.php?id=175293


i recommend using Linux distro which works out of the box. if you want light weight BunsenLabs is the one i would use. https://www.bunsenlabs.org/
installation.html

well i installed it on a usb FROM virtualbox

 

[jurassicplayer]

You could try installing the ntfs-3g package and then seeing if you can get around the issue without knowing what is wrong. Other than that...I guess any extra information you can provide would be nice.

Installing arch is pretty simple. Boot installation cd -> partition what you want -> pacstrap base -> arch-chroot -> setup hostname/timezone/normal user/etc -> reboot.

i also tried to install arch on virtualbox a while back, i couldnt get it to work.

Here is a screenshot log of me installing Archlinux in a VM. Around about an hour with screenshotting and watching youtube videos. It's simple and quick enough that I don't mind doing it while derping with other stuff.
http://imgur.com/a/wQxZb

Also, after reading the thread you posted I really agree with this guy:
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1367809#p1367809
It's not that they aren't willing to help, but it's as if you didn't know what UUID was and didn't make the effort to really understand what you were doing.

- edit -

well i installed it on a usb FROM virtualbox

After thinking about it for a little bit. You probably didn't set your syslinux.cfg correctly.

<Insert I wish you gave more information of the situation here because I don't know if you actually get to syslinux or not> You can check if it's a syslinux config problem by manually highlighting the entry, pressing tab to edit the arguments, and check the "root=" location to verify that it's pointing to the partition/device you are intending it to. If it isn't, set it to the correct device and boot into your arch install.

After, you should open /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg in a text editor and change the entry in question to "APPEND root=<UUID of USB>"...If I'm understanding this correctly anyways and you are intending to use that USB as a persistent mobile archlinux install.

 

[Deleted User]

just one prob i formatted as ext4 but then it says its ntfs

 

[jurassicplayer]

just one prob i formatted as ext4 but then it says its ntfs

Then something is probably not looking where you think it is.

 

[Minox]

Are you sure it was actually formatted as ext4? There's a confirmation step that has to be done before it actually formats if memory serves me right.

 

[Deleted User]

I redone the process 9999 times
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1 etc

 

[jurassicplayer]

I redone the process 9999 times
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1 etc

@Sykoh: Just humor me a bit.
Did you install Archlinux into a VM or into a usb?
Do you get to the syslinux screen when booting your install?
Did you check the syslinux.cfg of said install and made sure it is using the UUID of the device you are booting off of?

 

[Deleted User]

Well i followed a vid, boot screen shown up, usb install ext4, error unknown files system ntfs, uuid not required,ive told syslinux the root dir

 

[jurassicplayer]

usb install ext4, uuid not required,ive told syslinux the root dir

If you installed archlinux to a USB, you need to give syslinux the UUID of the USB, otherwise it is going to try to boot whatever device is default. Just look at where syslinux is trying to boot to. Or give me a link to the video. Or how you are booting your usb (on hardware? or in a VM).

 

[Deleted User]

Booting with hardware existing hard drive present.

 

[jurassicplayer]

Booting with hardware existing hard drive present.

Then look at your syslinux.cfg because it is definitely wrong. Default syslinux will try to boot to some /dev/sda partition which would be some partition on your existing hard drive, which would probably be NTFS.

 

[Deleted User]

WOW it all makes sense so what do i edit during installation and how to get uuid

 

[Kitty_Kat]

Just use linux Mint

 

[jurassicplayer]

You don't need to re-install arch. Boot your arch installation cd in your VM with the usb hooked in.

Then mount the usb partitions to the live environment with something like:
"mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt"

Chroot into your arch install:
"arch-chroot /mnt"

Get the UUID for your usb device (it will be something like "53cdad3b-4b01-4a6c-a099-be1cdf1acf6d -> ../../dev/sdb1" and you want the long string before the "->"):
"ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid"

Open your /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg in a text editor like nano:
"nano /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg"

and change the first entry's "APPEND root=..." to "APPEND root=UUID=<insert UUID here>"

- edit -
Alternatively, using the "blkid" command is maybe an easier to understand way of getting the UUID.

 

[Deleted User]

i need to install it cuz i tried it with grub on a separate boot partition

 

[jurassicplayer]

Well then after you reinstall syslinux, start from the "Get the UUID..."