Installing Gentoo for Wimps - using graphical installer

Ok, I know that I'll be considered a heathen devil and a total knucklehead for admitting this, but I'm attempting to install Gentoo with the new graphical installer. I've been very impressed with the speed, clarity of text, and as always with Linux, the cost of the distro. LOL

With the new 2008 Beta Live CD, manual installation is no longer required; a graphical installer is available along with enough options/packages to at least get online and play a bit with the system in a relatively painless manner. Last night I actually finally got Gentoo installed, only to be asked for username/password which was not recognized as authorized. I attempted to use the same as those I'd entered during the install process - which really isn't any different than what I've used with other distros. Just for the sake of anyone who may be interested, the main difference between the Gentoo install and that of other distros I've tried, is simply that instead of installing Gigs, Gentoo consisted of about 6-700 MBs. Much more lightweight than, for instance, Ubuntu or Dream Linux.

Anyway, my problem is the damn password. What's going on? After finishing the install and then rebooting, all seems well, except that I get a prompt for a password which seems not to exist. Can't find clarification in the Wiki, other boards, etc, so am lost. Foolish as this question seems, I can't find an answer. Anybody with experience or a better mind than my own have a clue what I should do next? Thanks for any words of wisdom.

BTW, because I know it will be suggested: I have already downloaded and copied the Minimal install disk. I have tried installing Gentoo the good, old-fashioned manly way in the past, but failed miserably. I'm a wimp; this new graphical installer was designed specifically with me in mind, I think.

 

user: root
passphrase: root

Try that... I doubt it'll work though.

 

Thanks, Bog. I'm reinstalling as I type, thinking that maybe I missed a step somewhere along the line. If, at the end of the install and after rebooting I get the same prompt, I'll try your suggestion. They certainly won't work any worse than the name/password which I had expected to work last night. lol

 

bmwrob, its called a beta for a reason.

Ive read reviews of this 2008 beta, numerous of which state that the graphical installer hangs and they have to restart the installation from scratch. Some reviewers even said that it hung every time at the same point (package installation) and they had to install via text browser.

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Im currently on gentoo, well Sabayon 3.5 beta2. Its amazing, I installed gnome, did some compiling and holy **** is it fast.

The hardware support is much better than gentoo as it features the latest kernel and ore bundled drivers. The live DVD is packed with so much stuff that it takes 12 GB to install, I had to remove so much from it. It also lets you choose which DM you want instead of just xfce4

It also has a binary package manager which features the best of aptget yum and emerge for times you dont feel like compiling, hence making sabayon a much better gentoo than gentoo.

 

I've tried Sabayon and agree with you, bb. But, I want to try gentoo - it's so damn fast. BTW, my own install also hung trying to install packages. Last night, I just skipped past that portion with hopes that I'd be able to figure out later how to do the scratch install of those apps that I might need down the line.

Re: Sabayon - I don't remember which version I tried (and liked) but it didn't include 12 GIGs!! Wow, that must be the largest distro ever!

 

the mini cd has less apps, thats the one you probs used. the live dvd on the other hand....

sabayon is gentoo with a different overlay, its more bleeding edge as the hardware support is better and everything is more up to date. The laptop support is amazing too.

I just finished compiling firefox and openoffice. They are amazingly fast, openoffice opens within a second after the click. Going to compile the latest kernel now to make things more snappy.

 

Ok, ok!

/runs off to download 12 Gigs of Sabayon

BUT, first I've got to finish getting Gentoo up and running. Have now gotten past the user/password problem. The system is now asking for Local host #. Damn, back to Gentoo Wiki to try and figure what the hell that is. Geez, I'm such a n00b!

 

lol its actually 4GB compressed.

Good luck with the gentoo wiki, all the info is there its just someone loaded it into a shotgun and fired it, leaving you to collect the pieces.

 

'rob....make sure your damned caps lock isn't on when keying passwords in during install.....wreaks havoc with a notebook....

 

You mean the wiki needs a wiki.......LOL

 

Thanks, Zoid, but I'm using a magnificent $400 eMachines desktop. I've managed to figure out what was wrong with the password situation, and am now stuck with Local host #. Geez, what the hell all is required to log on?? The system is installed now, at least. LOL

 

Just your machine name......can call it anything, like "brokenspirit" or XPSrulz or something

EDIT: don't discount your linux skills 'rob, most people on the street don't even know what linux IS.....

 

Shouldve sticked to Sabayon, its basically Gentoo but much better lol. You get more tools for emerge, a binary package manager for times you dont want to compile or install something really big and much more. I know Il write a review lol. I know the feeling though, you just have to try a distro your set on, even if its the 5th time and you remember it being horrible the last time.

Man compiling really makes a difference, just compiled some other stuff they run fast as thunder.

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As for your problem, you need to login with the info you provided in the setup. Then if still no graphical environment, type startx

 

Ok, Zoid, I tried various names (including "Zoid" but no luck). There is no other OS on the machine, and I didn't add a name during the install. How do I add a name now, during login? My Linux skills are lacking in a very big way!


bb, Sabayon is now about halfway through the download. It's getting there, slowly but surely. I'll check it out in the next day or so, but not until I get this %$* #@%$ Gentoo install rolling!

 

Glad to hear that Gentoo's latest GUI installer is better than last year's. Most of the Gentoo user forum posts indicate people couldn't even do an install with 2007.

In terms of the root account password, typically the Gentoo LiveCD's don't set a root password upon installation. It's something you have to do BEFORE you reboot. I've never done a GUI install but as a last step before you reboot see if you can you do the following;

1) Open a root console window with ctl-alt-F1
2) Set the root password by issuing the passwd command

BTW, I would offer that Sabayon is built (elegantly) on top of Gentoo. So it's kind of hard to have better hardware support, or more bleeding edge stuff, then the thing you're built on. What Sabayon does do, is make access to these bleeding edges easier for the non-Gentoo user (IMO). It's definitely the only "full" distro I ever considered switching to.

My only problem is that I don't need to have a packaged distro support either my hardware or support specific applications, libraries, or codecs. I read a lot of these threads here and frankly I don't get too excited when it's announced that a new version of some distro is supporting some new hardware. I'm also surprised when someone considers installing a completely different distro just to support some piece of hardware, like WiFi. But that's the downside to full distros, they tend towards the monolithic, and tend to encourage this kind of full install, and then full reinstall. Also it seems like upgrading is done more as a total system exercise, as opposed to just upgrading a specific parts of the installation.

As a Gentoo user, anything I need, I can usually easily install, using Gentoo's portage system, and if it isn't in the "main repository" of Portage, chances are someone supports it in Gentoo's equivalent of other repositories, called overlays. I can even make my own local overlay and install stuff that way. Once you get used to doing it this way, it's hard to go back to having the distro do all of that for you. So I say if you're curious about understanding more of how Linux works, the time investment in Gentoo is well worth it. The one downside is that it is a major investment in time to get it working right.

Good Luck..

 

your stuck with this??

localhost #


then you have to enter the username and password for the root account or any other accounts created.

@jas, your right about the overlays, but Im already pretty familiar with gentoo and arch, so I know my way around. Thats why I tried sabayon, to just keep things just a bit simpler as my time now needs to go more towards uni.

 

I've done that already, bb. The username and password were required before I could get to the Localhost #.

 

did you try startx or jas's suggestions

 

I didn't use Jas' method, but did get the username and password to work correctly (got it before I saw his post). X was the only package I tried to install with the rest of the system, but it hung, so don't think it's available yet even if I were able to login. I need to login first, no? If login isn't required first, what do I do?

 

If X isnt even installed then thats what you need to do

emerge xorg

then type

Xorg -configure

then type

mv /root/xorg.conf.new /etc/X11/xorg.conf

then install video card drivers, if your not using ati or nvidia then you need to do emerge libgl before any thing else

 

Thanks for trying to help, bb, but none of those commands, including emerge libgl, worked. Each was answered with: "there are no ebuilds to satisfy . . . " Am wondering if it's about time to try the minimal install. Nah, not quite yet - stubborn streak has set in. lol

/returns to Google

 

did you sync your repositories?

emerge --sync && layman -S


this will take a while

then try the commands or search for alternatives like emerge -S xorg

also perhaps everhting is incluided if you just install the drivers; emerge nvidia-drivers for nvidia cards.

 

Sorry....I thought it was asking for a computer name during the install.....didn't realize you'd booted to that....some of the distro's do it that way, or rather ask that way during install, can't remember which, too many.....