[mythtv-users] PXE boot mythbuntu iso (14.04)

[Mike Perkins]

On 01/08/14 17:44, Tim Draper wrote:
> I've spent a fair few hours trying to get this to work, but all to no avail.
>
> First up, i'm using the mythbuntu 14.04 x64 iso, and the MD5 correctly matches.
> I am attempting to update my existing FE's to the latest version via the clean install route (I am NOT trying to use diskless PXE FE's which is what web search thinks I'm doing)
>
> I've tried burning this iso to USB pen drive, and 2 methods of PXE booting; memdisk loading the iso directly (sucessfully loads the ISO into ram, and starts to boot iso from here), and also with direct mythbuntu kernel&append references with the extracted iso files.
>
> USB pen drive failed mid-install (i'd have to re-run to get the exact error)
> With PXE boot (either method) I keep getting dropped to a busybox initramfs prompt. part way through loading the initial files.
>
> Aside from actually resorting to finding a dvd burner and burning a disk off, does anyone have any ideas to how i can get mythbuntu installed via non-dvd methods?
>
> Ideally PXE boot, but USB would be ok aswell.
>
I'll tell you a wrinkle with USB that had me foxed for absolutely ages.

I bought several new USB sticks to use for installation work and most of them 
worked for what I needed. One failed in the weirdest way. I would copy ISO files 
onto it (as instructed) and tested it; worked perfectly. But when I came to use 
it in earnest I got nothing.

Turned out this stick had a weird error. You could read from it *once* and it 
worked (the test). Somehow, the internal pointers then got reset such that the 
stick appeared empty on subsequent use. This happened over and over again, with 
different OSs and file arrangements and eventually I figured it out. I somehow 
had a "read-once" stick.

I sighed, wrote my files to one of my dwindling stack of CD-ROMs and booted 
using my USB CR-ROM drive. Job done, but now I test every USB stick I get!

-- 

Mike Perkins