Can I install Tumbleweed in GPT format or is it MBR only? I have configured my USB stick as GPT and the installer fails at preparing drives.
You can install both on GPT and MBR.
I have been using Acronis True Image to prepare installation media, such as., HDDs, USB sticks, etc. Then I just let the installers create the needed partitions. This has always worked fine for me. The last Tumbleweed snapshot 6/9/2016 choked when I created a GPT on my usb stick, but succeeded when I created an MBR. The initial Tumbleweed release had no such problem. Also, the installer gave no indication of whether or not the installation was going to be done as GPT or MBR. This would be very helpful as I have no way of knowing whether or not the installer will create a GPT or MBR on its own, regardless of how I originally prepare the drive. BTW, are there any particular preferred Linux tools or proceedures for preparing drives as GPT or MBR? I just want to make sure I’m not missing any of the steps.
Thx
As far as I know, the installer will use GPT partitioning on a UEFI box, and MBR partitioning on a box that uses legacy booting.
However, it’s a bit more complex. The install media can be booted in UEFI mode or in legacy mode. So it actually depends on how you booted the install media.
If your disk is already using GPT partitioning, then the installer continues to use that. If you are already using MBR partitioning, but boot the installer in UEFI mode, then it will want to switch to GPT partitioning (perhaps losing data).
If you do all of the partitioning yourself before you boot the installer, and just use the existing partitions, you can usually control how it is partitioned yourself.
I think you are actually seeing a different issue. Several people have reported that the Tumbleweed installer hangs during the disk preparation part of the install – just before it actually installs. I think you are seeing that issue. There are several threads mentioning the problem. Perhaps it doesn’t happen if you reuse already existing partitions, though I don’t know that. The suggested work-around has been to install Leap 42.1, and then upgrade it to Tumbleweed (so as to avoid the disk preparation).
Note I don’t know the image software you are using but you want NO prep of the image just a binary copy to the device (not a partition on the device). I use cp with good results.
But it appears that it is the Installer bug in the current TW
Thanks for the response,
The 6/5/16 snapshot hangs at preparing drives, but the 6/9/16 snapshot does not appear to have this problem; however the 6/9/16 installer did hang when I prepared the drive as GPT. The laptop I’m using is a DELL 1545 and was made in 2009; so it might be a legacy boot unit. Also, some of the other issues I’ve been having were resolved by installing Leap first, the upgrading to Tumbleweed; however I don’t know if it will solve all of them. Can I configure the desktop and switch to the pacman reps in Leap, then upgrade to Tumbleweed. If I can this will be a great help.
Hi
I have a DELL Inspiron 1545 here, it is legacy boot (BIOS version A14). You could boot with a gpt disk, but it needs hybrid configuration AFAIK, stick with legacy/mbr…
All repos must match the openSUSE version you are using or upgrading to. DO NOT mix repos
You can upgrade from LEAP to TW
Will I have to switch to pacman again, or did I scotch the upgrade when I switched to pacman in Leap? I really just want this to work out-of-box. I’m willing to contribute to the dev process; but I want a stable install first.
You can add repos but all need to be for the same OS version, You must do a vendor change to packman if you want support for proprietary multimedia.
Note that since Tumbleweed is a rolling release and as such it is much more likely to have problems then a stable release like LEAP