installation problem with initramfs-tools

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Joe Hart wrote:
> Charles Blair wrote:
>> I am trying to install the etch version of Debian on a
>> recently purchased HP Pavillion machine (it has a hard disk
>> that the sarge installer doesn't recognize).
>
>> I downloaded the first CD image and booted the installer.
>> The partitioning and other steps seemed to be all right. During
>> the base install:
>
>> (1) I was asked to pick a kernel, and chose the default
>> linux-image-2.6-486
>
>> (2) Various successful install messages were displayed
>> until it said there was a problem with initramfs-tools.
>> I was referred to console #4, which displayed in part:
>
>>> Errors were encountered while processing:
>>> console-tools
>>> console-common
>>>
>>> subprocess /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code ()
>> I hope there's a quick fix. I could not get the installer to
>> continue past this error message.
>
>
> Why don't you try etch instead? It has better hardware recognition and
> works much better than sarge on newer computers.

It would help if I learned to read.

Which version of the installer are you using?
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[This is a follow-up to previous post, attempting to supply
more details.]

I am trying to install debian on a recently purchased HP machine,
with Windows XP pre-installed. An unsucessful attempt to install the
"stable" distribution leads me to believe this has a SATA hard-disk.

I downloaded the weekly build CD-image from "testing" on March 1,
and booted it. The first few steps (hard disk partition, etc) seemed
to go all right. Then I tried to install the base system. When asked
to choose a kernel, I chose the default linux-image-2.6-486.

Shortly afterward I got the message

> An error was returned while trying to install the
> initramfs-tools package
>
> Check /bar/log/syslog or virtual console 4

When I typed control-alt-Fr, I got in part:

> apt-install: Setting up busybox (1.1.3-4)
> apt-install: Setting up libklibc (1.4.34-1)
> apt-install: Seting up klibc-utils (1.4.34-1)
> apt-install: Setting up initramfs-tools (0.85e)
> apt-install:
> apt-install: Errors were encountered while processing:
> apt-install: console-tools
> apt-install: console-common
> apt-install: E:
> apt-install: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code()
> apt-install:
> base-installer: error: exiting on error base-installer/kernel/
> filed-package-install

I'm not sure, but my monitor may be losing the last character
of long lines, so that the message may refer to "failed-package-
install", and there may be a number for the error-code.

Thanks for any help.

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