Install fails if you take too long, message is "Invalid user name"

[ppeterb]

I have three ubuntu systems on partitioned HD. The 11.04 partition became hosed up and I opted for a complete restore using a remastersys 3.0.0-1 backup on thumb drive. I tended to other business for a few minutes and found the install had failed badly. Bottom line: Regardless of install directly from the thumb boot menu or install from the operating live system, and regardless of selections made during the process, you MUST complete the username, etc. information before the ongoing copy files process completes. This is about one-third of the time for the entire install.

If the "Ready when you are" message comes up and stays you have lost the race. You will get a message block "Invalid user name" and things go downhill. The only recovery I trusted is to kill the power and start over.

At the least this problem needs a mention in documents for remastersys users. I have no idea if this is a native ubuntu (or higher) problem outside the remastersys environment or if it related to the partitioned HD. 

The good news is that my remastersys 3.0.0-1 backup installed correctly. Thank you Tony!

[fragadelic]

In the past the installer would wait until you entered everything and would only then begin.

They have opted to start immediately after partitioning now to speed things up but yes you must answer all questions as soon as you can.

I imagine if you waited on a regular ubuntu install the same would happen since I make no changes to ubiquity at all.

[ppeterb]

That is the way I remember it also. A really amateurish change.

[fragadelic]

Not really.  It saves time for install as far as the user is concerned.  This isn't windows and there shouldn't be a reason to leave it unattended anyway since it only takes about 10 minutes for complete install on a fairly modern system.

I think it is a good thing that they did this with Ubiquity as it makes the whole install process seem quicker for the user.

[nessus]

Ahaaa!!!! Never in a thousand years would I have suspected that or stumbled on it at random. I ALWAYS do any installation procedures very slowly and deliberately, making darn sure I don't carelessly wipe out a data partition cause I got confused about whether it was it sda7 or sda6 or accidentally touch enter when there is a default to nuke my hard drive or something like that.

Thanks, Ppeterb, for posting this. I got here by searching  remastersys AND "invalid username" from google, after a long detour through the thread on MATE problems. I was so sure that was my issue I almost missed this thread. With all respect to Master Fragadelic, I have to agree that qualifies as a serious ubiquity bug. Misleading error messages are never a good thing.

And thank you, Fragadelic, for a great script.

[nessus]

I found a work-around for this problem.

Start the restore (installation of the remastersys backed
up system to a hard drive) from the command line thus:

sudo ubiquity --no-migration-assistant

or for Debian users, of course, no sudo, just su beforehand.

It works for me restoring a 32 bit Ubuntu Oneiric/Mate system. This is not always a trivial issue. I doubt Superman could get through ubiquity fast enough if he had to use mouse keys.  And, hey, in 10 minutes I could have made a peanut butter sandwich! ;-) Presumably the Ubiquity people will eventually fix this.