Linux 3.1 r1 takes forever to create ext3 filesystem for /

[mag3966]

Hi All,

I downloaded the 14 cd set for Sarge and proceeded to install it on a system which also contains WinXP. I partitioned my new 500gb drive for linux using Partition Magic as follows:

the swap is 1gb; and the / is 50gb; (both in ext3) the rest of the space is unpartitioned.

When I placed the first installation cd in the cd drive it went through a series of checks on the language, etc, ethernet card; then it got to the partitioning stage and it seems to want to repartition an already partitioned drive in ext3. Firstly, is this normal? I tried to go to the menu to have it merely install the program, but it keeps placing me back at the partition stage. I do not mind if it feels the need to re-partition the drive, but the problem it takes an incredibly long time. I started it last night and just got home from work and it is just at 6% in the creation of the ext3 filesystem. At this rate, the installation will take over a month. Am I doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

mag3966

P.S. I tried installing Disk 1 (WinXP Drive), but ran into the same problem with the incredibly lengthy partitioning scheme. Also, the program seems to realize that the drive is already partitioned ext3, but still tries to repartition.

[spencerf]

swap shouldn't be a filesystem. It is swap. It is created with the mkswap command.

[antidrugue]

Hi All,

I downloaded the 14 cd set for Sarge

Well, you don't need more than the first CD, that's for sure, and even the netinstall would do.

I partitioned my new 500gb drive for linux using Partition Magic as follows:

the swap is 1gb; and the / is 50gb; (both in ext3) the rest of the space is unpartitioned.

You don't really want to do that. The way to do it is to leave unpartitioned space for Debian, which will partition the free space the way you want.

When I placed the first installation cd in the cd drive it went through a series of checks on the language, etc, ethernet card; then it got to the partitioning stage and it seems to want to repartition an already partitioned drive in ext3. Firstly, is this normal? I tried to go to the menu to have it merely install the program, but it keeps placing me back at the partition stage. I do not mind if it feels the need to re-partition the drive, but the problem it takes an incredibly long time. I started it last night and just got home from work and it is just at 6% in the creation of the ext3 filesystem. At this rate, the installation will take over a month. Am I doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Be sure that you choose the "linux26" install and not the default install (at the prompt, right after booting with the Debian CD, press F1 for help, F3 for different installation options). The default install works with a legacy 2.4 kernel, which on your machine may effectively be very slow.

P.S. I tried installing Disk 1 (WinXP Drive), but ran into the same problem with the incredibly lengthy partitioning scheme. Also, the program seems to realize that the drive is already partitioned ext3, but still tries to repartition.

That's it, you never partition in advance, you leave the install to do its job of partitionning. (swap, /, /home, etc)

[mag3966]

thanks for the reply. I mis-typed earlier, swap does not indicate that it is ext3; only the /.

mag3966