install Qubes 3.2 Stucked at "Starting Switch Root..."

[Paulo Marques]

Hi There,

I hope you guys can help me, I'm new to Qubes Os and i was trying to install Qubes 3.2 but i'm stacked at "Starting to switch root..." and it just won't proceed the installation. I've tried do enabled/disabled Uefi mode on the bios, changed it to Uefi with legacy OPROM, but the result is always the same, i'm stalled there. Can someone help me please! I really would like to make a change in my system and i'd love to change to Qubes Os.

I'm running on a core I5 6500 With a Z270-P Asus Motherboard, 275GB SSD Crucial disk and 16GB of Ram.

[Paulo Marques]

I guys, I've tried already with another image and another Disk, an 500GB seagate and the results are the same. is it possible to be a disk driver (from Cubes installation setup ) problem or a disk/bios problem? Both disks, the SSD 275GB Crucial and the 500GB Seagate are functioning well as I did an early (provisionary) installation of a Window 7 image and they both got recognized either on the Bios and afterward when the system is installed (in the jpeg above disks E: and G:). Can someone please please help me?
Regards

[cooloutac]

On Monday, June 5, 2017 at 8:50:44 AM UTC-4, Paulo Marques wrote:
> I guys, I've tried already with another image and another Disk, an 500GB seagate and the results are the same. is it possible to be a disk driver (from Cubes installation setup ) problem or a disk/bios problem? Both disks, the SSD 275GB Crucial and the 500GB Seagate are functioning well as I did an early (provisionary) installation of a Window 7 image and they both got recognized either on the Bios and afterward when the system is installed (in the jpeg above disks E: and G:). Can someone please please help me?
> Regards

I would play around with bios settings man. set turn off secure boot, hdd mode ahci, use legacy boot. change csm settings, try auto, set to boot other os. check usb settings, any other hdd settings. The kabylake boards are still a little new for linux yet.

Does baremetal fedora install and run ok?

[Paulo Marques]

I cooloutac

Thank you for your suggestions

"I would play around with bios settings man. set turn off secure boot, hdd mode ahci, use legacy boot. change csm settings, try auto, set to boot other os. check usb settings, any other hdd settings."

I've done all that already (I've been doing that since last tuesday...) :( :P ;)

"Does baremetal fedora install and run ok?"

I haven't tried that, just tried to run Fedora on a Virtualbox VM and it runs ok

As the usb device for qubes installation loaded and checked the files.
I've tried also to follow this link instructions (below) as the message in the beginning of the installation says

Error messages beneath the
efi: EFI_MEMMAP is not enabled.
esrt: ESRT header is not in the memory map.
are:
dracud-pre-trigger[402]: cat: /tmp/dd_disk: No such file or directory. dracut-initqueue[511]: mount: /dev/sdb is write protected while booting the installation device.

I've trie also to follow this instructions (see links below)

https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/uefi-troubleshooting/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/comments/6f2kuu/tutorial_for_those_having_installationboot/

"In GRUB menu1, select “Troubleshoot”, then “Boot from device”, then press e.
At the end of chainloader line add /mapbs /noexitboot.
Perform installation normally, but not reboot system at the end yet."

but Before I can perform installation normally it runs the text command line (in a speedy way) (I think that's the ANACONDA installer wright?) and in the middle stops the text and says

"starting show plymouth boot screen..."
and doesn't get out of there...

So I've to reboot again after a wile and whatever options I choose from the menu ( 1)install Qubes 3.2, 2) preform a test and install, 3) troubleshoot and verboose mode, and 4) rescue a qubes installation I always get stuked in the same frase/fase of the installation.

Any suggestions??

Regards

[Foppe de Haan]

It doesn't provide any additional information when you select verbose mode startup, aside from the (irrelevant) message about plymouth boot screen?

[Paulo Marques]

HI Foppe,

Nothig more exept:

"Error messages beneath the
efi: EFI_MEMMAP is not enabled.
esrt: ESRT header is not in the memory map.
are:
dracud-pre-trigger[402]: cat: /tmp/dd_disk: No such file or directory. dracut-initqueue[511]: mount: /dev/sdb is write protected while booting the installation device. "

I've try also to follow this instructions (see links below)

https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/uefi-troubleshooting/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/comments/6f2kuu/tutorial_for_those_having_installationboot/

In the last link I was "new 48" (it didn't let me put my name on the post/thread.

Besides that I've tryied to install again either the 3.2 or the 3.1 version (I thought it could be the download and so I download again and also the 3.1 version) and it stuked again on the same place, if I change the boot to legacy, it goes to a blue screen with intall/test and install/troublshoot option and when I choose the last it goes to a text menu with 7 options to fulfill but coudn't pass it either as it asks for a lurks password ???

I thought I could see if the images are good in a VM so I installed both Virtualbox and VMware Workstation 12, I could install and run Qubes 3.1 from the last (VMware) and Qubes 3.2 from the first(Virtualbox), but unfortunately the late (3.2) couldn't have the sis-net active and so I couldn't run practically no programs. (see Photos attached)

Thank you for any suggestions

best Regards

[cooloutac]

I don't have any other suggestions except that running things in vbox or vmware is not same as baremetal. I would try to install fedora 23 iso as baremetal to your hdd. just to narrow it to a qubes specific issue or help point to a solution.

also Do you have a discrete gpu installed? Try to disable it and use the onboard one.

[Paulo Marques]

Hi Cooloutac,

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm downloading Fedora 23 now and I'll Install it as soon as I'll get it ;)

What do you mean by a " a discrete gpu installed"? My Cpu is an i5 core 6500 and as Intel® HD Graphics 530 included (I don't think I'm able do disable it in the bios) and my motherboard is an Z270-p from ASUS and have an Integrated Graphics Processor- Intel® HD Graphics support, is this what you are referring as a discrete gpu installed"? where can I disable it in the Bios?

I don't intend to run Qubes in a VM since it was not built to it, it was just a way to see if the images downloaded were ok... ;)

[Paulo Marques]

Hi Cooloutac,

I've tried Fedora 23 Installation and it seems to work well (I'm writing this from Firefox after the Fedora 23 installation)

Tanks for your suggestions

Regards

[Foppe de Haan]

Oh I see. Yes, Qubes doesn't work (or barely works) inside another VM, for a lot of reasons. You'll have to install it to a disk and dual-boot to it to get it to work.

[Paulo Marques]

Hi Foppe,

"You'll have to install it to a disk and dual-boot to it to get it to work" According to Qubes Team that isn't a very good solution for security reasons because the other system can be "taken" and your all qubes installation is at risk, wright?

Anyway, I've insttaled Fedora 23 and it seems to be running alright...

[Foppe de Haan]

Strictly, yes, but so long as your Qubes installation is encrypted, the risk isn't that big -- only if someone who can hack your hardware while you're in windows, can they then check out what you're doing while in Qubes. I don't have a dual-boot menu, though, I just tell the bios from which disk to boot.

Anyway, until a live-USB comes out, that's the only way to test out Qubes. :)

[Paulo Marques]

Hi Foppe
quote "I don't have a dual-boot menu, though, I just tell the bios from which disk to boot." - That's exactly what i'm trying to do, that't wy I bought this case ( https://www.google.pt/search?q=Caixa+Nox+Coolbay+VX+Zero+Edition&client=firefox-b&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwiSjPC5pa7UAhUCshQKHesBBKYQsAQIMg&biw=1024&bih=633 ) so I could change the disks even more easily, without having to open the box buy using the upper tray. But either in the upper tray or in the internal bays it seams I can't install it at all . . . :((
Do you know if there is a way to install a system from another OS (windows/Linux) by way of copying/intalling the system files from there to another disk, a blank/previous formatted one for instance?

[cooloutac]

what foppe means is to install qubes baremetal straight to the hdd and boot it from bios not a vm.

But if you did that with fedora 23 and it works, i'm not sure what the difference other then maybe vt-d and secure boot. What kernel is your fedora 23 using?

[Paulo Marques]

I Cooloutac.

Thanks man ...
(if only I could...) "install qubes baremetal straight to the hdd and boot it from bios..."

The vt-d and secure boot instances on the Bios are the same now with Fedora 23 as they were before when trying to install qubes 3.2 (enabled for the Vt-d, Enable for Vt-x and other Os for the secure Boot)

my kernel version on Fedora 23 is: 4.8.13-100.fc23.x86_64

Thanks again

[Paulo Marques]

but If I use version 4.2.3-300.fc23.x86_64 with fusion desktop is the same (i'm writing this second message on it)

[cooloutac]

What I was suggesting was to disable vt-d and see if qubes boot.

[Paulo Marques]

"What I was suggesting was to disable vt-d and see if qubes boot."

Ok, let's try...

[Paulo Marques]

I Cooloutac,

"disable vt-d and see if qubes boot" ... I've tried to do that with Ipv-6 disabled and secure boot disabled also as you can see by the images bellow ... nothing happened. I've tried with the 3 installation modes (testing and installing, installing, and verboose mode) with or without the UEFI troubleshoting on the Qubes page also and nothing, I also tried to installed either on a blank disk or in a Linux Fedora 23 installed already disk, it stucks in the same place... :P

(by the way, I finally could managed to install Qubes 3.2 over the VMware Workstation... just to test the the image, and it seems to work just fine (updating opening different app Vm's, and so on) but i don't want to run it from there...)

[cooloutac]

ok what about putting the hdd mode to ahci.

[Paulo Marques]

"...putting the hdd mode to ahci." It's been on AHCI mode all the time...

[cooloutac]

On Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 12:24:55 PM UTC-4, Paulo Marques wrote:
> "...putting the hdd mode to ahci." It's been on AHCI mode all the time...

maybe you need to have that 4.8 kernel.

[Paulo Marques]

Hi Cooloutac
"maybe you need to have that 4.8 kernel." - how is that ? Doesn't the image downloaded from either the Qubes site or their mirrors doesn't included already that?
How can I see if that is the case and if not how can I put together that Kernel with the rest of the image?

[Paulo Marques]

In Fact when I went to the global settings in Qubes 3.2 Running in Virtual box AFTER I made an update either of Domm(o) and also of Fedora 23 (wich is the template that I'm using) it gives me a Kernel 4.4.67-12 (current) ...

When I runned it from VMware Workstation in the beginning gives me a:
Loading Kernel
xen 4.6.1...
Linux 4.4.14-11 popvs qubes x86_64

so It seems my image have an Linux 4.4.14-11 Kernel? what can I do?

[cooloutac]

unfortunately I don't know, hopefully someone else can answer. it would require building your own iso or using some kickstart file. I believe this has been done before but I'm failing to find it searching the mailing list.

Building your own iso is out of my expertise, but there is documentation on the website. I believe a kickstart file would be easier if you can find the discussion.

[cooloutac]

what if you burn qubes on a dvd? is that possible for you? and instal legacy mode that way, won't helpt with graphics issue though. but then maybe you can actually install in text mode and get a tty later to install newer kernel.

Swapping drives really isn't a solution man if the firmware of the mobo and other peripherals get infected your Qubes still at risk if another os being used on the machine regardless.

[Paulo Marques]

Hi Cooloutac, thanks for yours advice man

"it would require building your own iso or using some kickstart file. I believe this has been done before but I'm failing to find it searching the mailing list.

"Building your own iso is out of my expertise" and out of mine also..., but I'll try to find searching the mailing list about using some Kickstart file (although I suspect it's out of my "league" also but I'll try.

"what if you burn qubes on a dvd? ... and install legacy mode..." I've done it already... I've tried with a burned DVD on my first atempts ... :( But thanks for the tip anyway... ;)

"Swapping drives really isn't a solution man..." Thanks, I know that but as I only have one Pc (a tower/desktop one) and I couldn't stop working, meanwhile I had to find a way to make the transition for Qubes, and as soon I install it, I'll drop out the other one and keep the Qubes Os as my only one system active...
I'm "glad" I did it this way otherwise i couldn't keep on working and could not access this forum and ask for advice in case things didn't went well (which they did unfortunately).

But anyhow thanks for your advices man ;) , I'll try to find the Kickstart discussion and trie it... and then I'll try again with the DVD way, and after that I'll download another image and I'll try all over again from that... Let's see what happened... (let me keep my fingers crossed ;) )

[cooloutac]

try suggestions in this thread https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/qubes-users/Eq2zZU5yXEs/qs94AX1uAAAJ

[Dave C]

On Thursday, June 1, 2017 at 8:33:07 PM UTC-7, Paulo Marques wrote:
> Hi There,
>
> I hope you guys can help me, I'm new to Qubes Os and i was trying to install Qubes 3.2 but i'm stacked at "Starting to switch root..." and it just won't proceed the installation. I've tried do enabled/disabled Uefi mode on the bios, changed it to Uefi with legacy OPROM, but the result is always the same, i'm stalled there. Can someone help me please! I really would like to make a change in my system and i'd love to change to Qubes Os.
>
> I'm running on a core I5 6500 With a Z270-P Asus Motherboard, 275GB SSD Crucial disk and 16GB of Ram.

I'm curious whether the approach I posted to https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/qubes-users/4VsKdxnKHBk works for you.