Ubuntu Studio 10.04 Alternate Install Fails

[philip]

I am using the alternate install DVD that identifies itself as follows:
  Ubuntu-Studio 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100427.1)
The checksum on the file I burned to the DVD was correct.

Installation proceeds normally until well into the installation of the base system.
(A few times the screen turns all red and debconf complains about something,
but I select "Continue" and we seem to go ahead.) The failure that brings the
whole thing to a grinding halt produces these syslog highlights:

May 26 06:50:50 in-target: Setting up initramfs-tools (0.92bubuntu78) ...
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
May 26 06:50:50 in-target:
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ...
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: Cannot find /lib/modules/2.6.32-21-generic
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-2.6.32-21-generic
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: dpkg: error processing initramfs-tools (--configure):
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: Errors were encountered while processing:
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: initramfs-tools
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: E:
May 26 06:50:50 in-target: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

The full syslog transcript is here in an attachment.

I'm not sure why the package cannot find those modules, because I can find them myself
by dropping to a shell and locating that directory. Suggestions?

[philip (philip-tidepool)]

Correction: The all-red error screens were complaints from *debootstrap*, not debconf.

Diagnosis: Using "Alt-F2" to open another shell when the the red screen appeared on tty1 gave the opportunity to issue "tail /var/log/syslog". The first red screen was apparently also caused by trouble with building the initramfs. So was the second.

Workaround: The first time an error arose ("debootstrap warning: failure while configuring required packages"), I selected "Continue" in the installer. The second time, I used "Alt-F2" to get a root shell. Saying "mount" revealed that my designated root partition was already mounted on /target, with some directories already in place. I copied the missing modules from the running system to the system under construction before going back to "Alt-F1" and saying "Continue". The command I issued in that root shell was something like
# cp -a /lib/modules/2.6.32-21-generic /target/lib/modules/

Comments: The reputation of Ubuntu Studio will be enhanced if the arcane steps detailed above could be made redundant by suitable changes to the installation media. Thanks for considering this.

[cablop (cablop)]

Workaround:

Wait until you get the error, then go to tty4 (alt+f4) where you see the error log. It says:

Cannot find /lib/modules/2.6.32-21-generic

Then go to tty2 (alt+f2), press enter to get a root shell and run this command

~# cp -a /lib/modules/2.6.32-21-generic/ /target/lib/modules/2.6.32-21-generic/

I guess setting up initramfs-tools is not running in the current system, but in a chrooted one.