XPost: linux.debian.maint.boot
From: [email protected]

Package: installation-reports

Debian-installer-version: RC1
uname -a: Linux edgar 2.4.26-1-K7 #1 Thu Jul 22 13:24:02 JST 2004 i686 GNU/Linux
Date: Aug. 16, 2004 about 2200 EDT
Method: How did you install? FTP download from mirror
What did you boot off? Floppies, 20040801 set, with network
drivers floppy
If network install, from where? http://www.us.debian.org
Proxied? No.

Machine: CCSI rackmount server with Tyan S2469 motherboard
Processor: single Athlon MP
Memory: 512 MB
Root Device: SCSI, AIC7902 internal host adapter. Name of device?
/dev/sda6
Root Size/partition table: 8 GB /, 100 MB /boot, 2 GB /var, 14 GB /home

Disk /dev/sda: Maxtor 35 GB 10K RPM SCSI-320



Base System Installation Checklist:

Initial boot worked: [O]
Configure network HW: [O]
Config network: [O]
Detect CD: [ ]
Load installer modules: [O]
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [O]
Create file systems: [O]
Mount partitions: [O]
Install base system: [O]
Install boot loader: [O/E]
Reboot: [O/E]
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it

Comments/Problems:

Debian Installer has come a long way. I have only two minor bugs to report.

1. The screens for installing GRUB to a hard disk give instructions for installing it to the MBR, a disk partition, or a floppy disk. Only the MBR installation works. Attempting to install it anywhere else gives an error message saying that it failed.

2. After the MBR is installed and a few final settings are made, the
machine successfully reboots from the hard disk. At that time the text-mode screen jumps to the left, so that the first character of every line is off-screen. Shutting down to a re-boot and selecting a different distro initializes the video board correctly.
Video board is an ATI FireGL X1-128 driving a Sony 21" P1110 analog
monitor. No X software installed at this time.

3. There's still room for improvement with screen messages and layouts.
In particular, the opening screen gives no hint that the Expert mode is available, and is necessary for even slightly unusual situations. There
should be a message up front along the lines of:

"If you need to manually control partitioning or other settings during
install, select Expert Mode. Press <F1> for more information. Otherwise
just press <Enter>."

In the partitioner screens, the menu item to finish partitioning and
write out the settings doesn't appear on the screen unless you scroll down. It's far from obvious that you can scroll down to find it. It's also
difficult to distinguish between menu items and text instructions.
Something should be done to make them look different; perhaps some
punctuation mark could be chosen to be the first character of each menu
item. -> would be a possible choice.


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