# Error while Extracting base.txz: can't unlink already existing object



## glaprise (Nov 23, 2012)

*Installating FreeBSD 9.0*

What does the subject error messages mean. I am using the dvd ISO image. 

I created the ISO Image multiple times on different DVD media, using different DVD writers on different machines. I even tried with 9.1 disc image. I tried to install on different disk drives on the target machine.  I always get the same error when I get at 75% during archive extraction of base.txz.

I am beginning to think that I have a problem with my DVD reader on the target machine.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Gilbert


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## contraversy (Nov 27, 2012)

Hey Gilbert, Sounds like you really did some homework with the DVD/ISO Media. Looks like you have pretty much ruled out the media as the problem. But did you by any chance download both ISO's from the same mirror? If the mirror had a md5 hash listed with it, I would check the image to make sure the hash checks out. As you have ruled out the image media but not the image file itself, download from another mirror.

Also, try installing that ISO image on a VirtualBox ran virtual machine. That will also help isolate the image if there is a problem with it. But, all of those suggestions are for you to try while you wait for your new DVD Reader to get shipped to you, because that's what I think it is!


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## wblock@ (Nov 27, 2012)

Use the CD image, or use a USB memory stick.  What program are you using to write the image?


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## OH (Nov 27, 2012)

Usually that message indicates that the file you're extracting already exists (same name, that is) and you have no writing permissions for that already existing file.


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## vand777 (Nov 27, 2012)

Probably you had already installed (or tried to install) the system on this hard disk before. Just delete everything OS related on your hard disk (or everything if it is a brand new installation) and then try again.

P.S. Once I misspelled base.txz and extracted all other files except base.txz. When I corrected the mistake and ran the installation script for the 2nd time, it complained with the same error message (as far as I remember). I cleaned the disk and then restart from the beginning. It did solve the problem.


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## glaprise (Nov 28, 2012)

Thanks for all the reply. 

I guest I know just enough to hang myself.You are right I had tried before to install on the same drive but by changing partition size I thought all info would be destroy.

Anyway I think the problem is that the install process assume that boot, /, swap, /var, and /usr are all on the same disk.  I was trying to do the install with with /var on disk2 and /usr on disk3, since I only have an old 15GB drive for the boot disk.

When I finally resolve myself to initially install everything on one disk, everything went fine.  I just now need to migrate /var and /usr to their own disk and I should be in business.

If I am right by assuming that bsdinstall requires everything to be installed on one disk, it should be mentioned in the doc or I miss it.


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## kpa (Nov 28, 2012)

It defaults to installing everything to a single partition. However it should support using separate partitions for /usr, /var and /tmp (not for /boot, such configuration is unsupported). If you can reliably reproduce the error you should file a  PR.


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## glaprise (Nov 28, 2012)

kpa,
    well I have it is working pretty well now, I am getting ready to develop a few small tools with QT4,and I don't have any other pc to test an install, so I will have to pass for the moment.

Thanks to everyone for their reply, I learn something from each of them.

Gilbert


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## magpie (Mar 6, 2013)

Hello *a*ll, 

I am having the same problem with 9.1. This is what comes up as an error:


```
Archive Extraction

Extraction Error
Error while extracting base.txz:
Can't unlink already existing object
```
This consistently happens after 75% of it has loaded.

I have:

Downloaded FreeBSD 9.1 and compared MD5 checksums on
the boot disc only
disc 1 and
the DVD.
All 3 checksums are correct. ****
All versions were downloaded from the same site (US ftp2)
Have wiped the partitions and started again only to end up with the same result. Used all 3 versions of of the installation discs and the result is the same. 
Looked for answers from other sources but no luck.
**** Note: The Australian site was my first choice but I received errors. Can someone please find out if the site is error free?

I've run out of ideas and about to try out OpenBSD and see if it loads successfully.


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## glaprise (Mar 7, 2013)

Are you trying to install everything on one physical disk, or on more than one.  I solved my problem when I stop trying to install /usr and /var on different disk than the boot disk.  It work when I just use all the default GPT partitions on one disk only.


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## magpie (Mar 7, 2013)

Hello @glaprise, thanks for replying. I am only using one physical drive and I am using the GPT partitions. All versions of the installation discs STOP AT THE SAME POINT in the installation.

I just can't get my head around this. I have changed my plans, I am going to install FreeBSD 8 instead of OpenBSD 5_2 and update to 9_1 from there. I know my FreeBSD 8 disc works ok.

My only question remains: Will the update fail when that same file updates to 9_1?


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## wblock@ (Mar 7, 2013)

magpie said:
			
		

> I have changed my plans, I am going to install FreeBSD 8 instead of OpenBSD 5_2 and update to 9_1 from there. I know my FreeBSD 8 disc works ok.
> 
> My only question remains: Will the update fail when that same file updates to 9_1?



No, because an update from source or freebsd-update(8) does not extract the source tar files.  There's still the problem of why that was failing.  If that's a problem with that system, it could still come back to haunt you.  Could have been something simple, like the root partition being too small.


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## magpie (Mar 8, 2013)

Thank you wblock@, I won't install FreeBSD 8.

I am installing FreeBSD on a 750GB drive and using all of it. I allocated 1GB to the root partition thinking that would be sufficient as the manual suggested on page 33. Is this not sufficient? The rest of the disk I allocated plenty of space for the rest of the files.


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## wblock@ (Mar 8, 2013)

On a large disk, go with at least 2G or 4G for /.  A possible problem with smaller sizes is enough space, but not enough inodes by default.  That was reported as a problem with earlier versions, but I thought it had been fixed in 9.1.


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## magpie (Mar 9, 2013)

Ok, thanks @wblock@, I will give it a try and amend my printed copy of the manual as well.

If inodes were a problem, this never showed up when I did have FreeBSD 8 installed sometime ago and used the same 1GB limit for /. Why is it a problem now?


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## wblock@ (Mar 9, 2013)

It was a problem that started on FreeBSD 9.0.  The new bsdinstall(8) sets up a single large / filesystem by default, and if it was too limited in size, the system would run out of inodes just trying to create all the files in it.


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## magpie (Mar 9, 2013)

Hello wblock@, now it makes sense. I did not install FreeBSD 9.0 because I installed another BSD to try something else. FreeBSD 9.1 has installed successfully after increasing / to 8GB. I'm not usually mean with my allocations. Thanks again. I hope this helps others that were caught out.


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## l2f (Sep 8, 2016)

Hello,

same thing with 10.3 with the mem.img, I have divided my hd to 1/3 of all space: around 30G for each partition, I have 10.2 on the first partition and 8.3 on the second one.  I tried to do a fresh install on my 8.3 partition and I faced the infamous: can't unlink already existing object and my 8.3 is unable to boot properly...

I will try the 9.3 mem.img...

Regards

l2f


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## l2f (Sep 9, 2016)

Hello,

Finally I got it: I mounted the old partition into my 10.2 installation, I did 

```
chflags -R noschg
```
and 
	
	



```
rm -rf *
```
I restarted the install with the memstick and everything went ok 
So try to run those commands from a shell or livecd session from the disk.install

Regards

l2f


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## Murph (Sep 9, 2016)

l2f said:


> ```
> rm -rf *
> ```


I'm not quite certain if this was the case here, but it might have been.  If you want to just clear an entire filesystem, I would always recommend using newfs(8).  It will very likely be faster than rm(1), and guarantees a properly clean slate to start from.  It will also blow right through those pesky schg flags (and everything else, including precious data).


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## tenq (Jun 1, 2017)

Hello.

I'm using bsdinstall with jail key and path and facing the same problem.

Even after cleaning /usr/freebsd-dist from files - this error repeating.

system version 10.3-RELEASE-p11


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