Boot method: USB
Image version:
https://get.debian.org/images/trixie_di_rc3/amd64/iso-cd/debian-
trixie-DI-rc3-amd64-netinst.iso
Date: 2025-08-05

Machine: imac 9.1
Partitions: <df -Tl will do; the raw partition table is preferred>


Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it

Initial boot: [O]
Detect network card: [ ]
Configure network: [ ]
Detect media: [E]
Load installer modules: [ ]
Clock/timezone setup: [ ]
User/password setup: [ ]
Detect hard drives: [ ]
Partition hard drives: [ ]
Install base system: [ ]
Install tasks: [ ]
Install boot loader: [ ]
Overall install: [ ]

Comments/Problems:


I have an external device with multiple partition. Among them, there is
one partition with Clonezilla (which is based on Debian), and one
partition with the debian trixie installer. Both copied from their
respective ISO.

The debian installer seems to be satisfied once it detected Clonezilla
partition and seems to consider that this is the debian installer media.
But installation will fail because there is no Release file on this
partition (which is expected).


Clonezilla partition is /dev/sdc4
It is version: clonezilla-live-3.2.2-15-amd64

$ find .disk/
.disk/
.disk/info
.disk/mkisofs

$ cat .disk/info
Debian GNU/Linux 13 "Sid" - Snapshot amd64 LIVE Binary 20250620-11:34



Debian trixie installer partition is /dev/sdc9
$ find .disk/
.disk/
.disk/base_components
.disk/base_installable
.disk/cd_type
.disk/id
.disk/id/eef54cfb-8917-44ad-8bcc-10df5113ec04
.disk/info
.disk/mkisofs
.disk/udeb_include

$ cat .disk/info
Debian GNU/Linux trixie-DI-rc3 "Trixie" - Official RC amd64 NETINST with
firmware 20250804-15:06

Picture of installer screens and log is attached.

two steps:
1) Search and mount the first CD, USB partition or disk which has an
ISO9660 or FAT filesystem and a /.disk/info file.
2) Extract the suite and codename from the first /dists/*/Release file
and fail if the file is missing or does not have the expected format.

I have seen the same flawed logic in other parts of the installer (e.g.
firmware file search): stop at the first item which matches the first
condition, and fail if it does not match the next condition. Instead it
should check all conditions on each item until an item which matches all
conditions is found.

There is another related issue: if different versions of Debian
installer media are present, the installer may pick the wrong one and
install the wrong version or fail because kernel modules are missing.
Each installation image has a unique identifier in /.disk/id/, but the
installer's initrd does not know about it. The identifier could be added
to the kernel command line in the boot loader configuration or to the
initrd when the CD image is built.