[SOLVED] Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

General support questions
Fonse
Posts: 8
Joined: 2017/05/22 19:17:19

[SOLVED] Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by Fonse » 2017/05/22 19:40:50

I've been trying to install Centos via USB and disk and niether works.

Using USB with minimal allowed me to get to the screen with the four penguins before hanging on dracut-initqueue, and not doing anything for about an hour. Using a disk I was able to get to the same spot, where it hangs (I waited 3 hours that time, nothing). Using USB and DVD version would not allow me to boot, I thought this made sense but Centos's installation tutorial specifically mentions the DVD version to use with the USB drive, so apparently this should work as well. It was also strange since a seprate third Ubuntu machine I had reported that those DVD usbs were bootable. Used windows dd command as shown in the tutorial and made sure I was getting the right sdb for the USBs, and burning software for the disk version ISO.

Tried Test media, which also hanged indefinitely

I also tried swapping the drives but it still hangs, Output has changed since I needed to turn off the computer since it wasn't doing anything during init hoosk, but the current output is:

Code: Select all

[ OK ] Started Device-Mapper Multipath Device Controller
          Starting Open-iSCSI...
[ OK ] Started Open-iSCSI
          Starting dracut initqueue hook...
[ OK ] Started Show Plymouth Boot Screen.
[ OK ] Reached target Paths.
[ OK ] Reached target Basic System.
_
I also noticed that the dvd drive, whose only indication of work was noise, was quiet doing absolutely nothing during the hangs.
Last edited by Fonse on 2017/05/25 14:01:48, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
TrevorH
Site Admin
Posts: 33202
Joined: 2009/09/24 10:40:56
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by TrevorH » 2017/05/22 20:33:32

Please make sure that you use the recommended method of creating your USB stick - namely just dd the iso file to the entire USB device. Don't try using most of the Windows based USB stick creation programmes as a lot of them are broken and try to "edit" the iso image as they write it and they break it.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

Fonse
Posts: 8
Joined: 2017/05/22 19:17:19

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by Fonse » 2017/05/22 20:44:14

TrevorH wrote:Please make sure that you use the recommended method of creating your USB stick - namely just dd the iso file to the entire USB device. Don't try using most of the Windows based USB stick creation programmes as a lot of them are broken and try to "edit" the iso image as they write it and they break it.
I outlined previously that I did use the recommended way for using a USB stick, ignoring that its nonsensical to recommend a DVD version for USB, I've already stated it just didn't work, the USB stick is simply not recognized as a bootable device where as using the non DVD versions at least gave me the centos install menu. Additionally I also clearly stated I did exactly what you stated "dd the iso file to the entire USB" and followed the tutorial. I've formatted the USB to FAT 32 and have both specified and not specified block size, neither works.

I have not even attempted to use anything other than dd for USB

lightman47
Posts: 1521
Joined: 2014/05/21 20:16:00
Location: Central New York, USA

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by lightman47 » 2017/05/23 11:45:56

Have you tried using 'dd' to a BLANK (non-formatted) stick? The iso image 'has it's own format inside', so to speak.

- just a thought.

Fonse
Posts: 8
Joined: 2017/05/22 19:17:19

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by Fonse » 2017/05/23 16:47:42

lightman47 wrote:Have you tried using 'dd' to a BLANK (non-formatted) stick? The iso image 'has it's own format inside', so to speak.

- just a thought.
Funnily enough, while this didn't solve my problem at all, it was apparently the reason why DVD wasn't recognized as bootable (I used DVD version with USB). So I was able to get to the same screen the two other methods gave me.

Here's what it does now (which is actually what I initially saw before I made this thread):

Code: Select all

[ OK ] Started Show Plymouth Boot Screen.
[ OK ] Reached target Paths.
[ OK ] Reached target Basic System.
[ OK ] Started Device-Mapper Multipath Device Controller
          Starting Open-iSCSI...
[ OK ] Started Open-iSCSI
          Starting dracut initqueue hook...
_
I now realize this is just a different order of the output from before, and I left that one on overnight, still nothing.

User avatar
TrevorH
Site Admin
Posts: 33202
Joined: 2009/09/24 10:40:56
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by TrevorH » 2017/05/23 17:10:40

Did you check the sha256sum of your downloaded iso image matches the ones published in the release notes?
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

Fonse
Posts: 8
Joined: 2017/05/22 19:17:19

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by Fonse » 2017/05/23 17:59:14

TrevorH wrote:Did you check the sha256sum of your downloaded iso image matches the ones published in the release notes?
I like how the documentation for validating files says the checksums are located "in the iso directory" with out specifying that they are talking about the actual source code, and the directory is not called "iso"... and 7.3.1611 is apparently the only version of 7 with out an "isos" directory... so I can't even verify the checksum. I assume I'm using 7.3, its not like they actually tell you that on the download page, and the only reason I think I'm using it is because 1611 is in the name of the file I have.

In case some one else has access to the nonsensically obsfucated location of the checksum for the latest downloadble release of Centos 7, here is my sha256sum for the file "CentOS-7-x86_64-DVD-1611":

Code: Select all

c455ee948e872ad2194bdddd39045b83634e8613249182b88f549bb2319d97eb 

lightman47
Posts: 1521
Joined: 2014/05/21 20:16:00
Location: Central New York, USA

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by lightman47 » 2017/05/23 18:08:10

OK - the next question becomes 'from WHERE you are acquiring your image?' Perhaps from a third party site.

Yes/no?

For instance, ISO images are here, as a link to verify your download.

https://www.centos.org/download/
Last edited by lightman47 on 2017/05/23 18:15:29, edited 1 time in total.

Fonse
Posts: 8
Joined: 2017/05/22 19:17:19

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by Fonse » 2017/05/23 18:14:10

lightman47 wrote:OK - the next question becomes 'from WHERE you are acquiring your image?' Suspicion is from a third party site.

Yes/no?
Unless centos.org got hacked, then no, I absolutely did not download this through some suspicious third party site. Here's what I did, I googled centos, got to this site https://www.centos.org/, then went to this site by clicking "get centos now" https://www.centos.org/download/, then I clicked "get DVD iso" http://isoredirect.centos.org/centos/7/ ... D-1611.iso and clicked the very first link, http://mirror.tocici.com/centos/7/isos/ ... D-1611.iso. It downloaded and that was it. This also doesn't explain why Centos 7.3.1611 doesn't have a checksum to compare against...
Last edited by Fonse on 2017/05/23 18:17:19, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
TrevorH
Site Admin
Posts: 33202
Joined: 2009/09/24 10:40:56
Location: Brighton, UK

Re: Centos 7 fails to install from USB and disk (creating from windows, boot on no OS machine)

Post by TrevorH » 2017/05/23 18:17:00

Or you can read the Release Notes like I said in my last post.

Here https://wiki.centos.org/Manuals/ReleaseNotes/CentOS7 saves you the trouble of typing "CentOS Release Notes" into Google. More specifically https://wiki.centos.org/Manuals/Release ... 5027b67684
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

Post Reply