Ran the installer in Linux ubuntu in Wsl, got to this line- [SparkBox] Boot self-heal enabled (sparkbox-boot.service runs 'sparkbox up' after every reboot), then it just stopped, been sitting there for 5 to 10 min so far. Not sure what is happening.
26 replies
tomspark wrote:
Good news — it almost certainly didn't crash. Right after that line the installer starts downloading all the apps in the background, and it stays completely quiet while it does. That's the longest part of the whole install: 20–30 minutes is normal, sometimes more on a slower connection. Just leave the window open. You'll know it worked when a big ONE-TIME BOOTSTRAP TOKEN box appears — save that code, it's your first login. Totally fair that it looks frozen; it should print a heads-up there and I've flagged that. If it's still stuck after a full hour, reply here and we'll dig in.
Grimma84 wrote:
Ok what if.....now hear me out......the window was mistakenly closed by my kid, and I might have to restart this process??!? How would I go about this? Lol (totaly hypothetical 😉🤣
tomspark wrote:
Ha — no harm done, hypothetically or otherwise 😄 Closing the window doesn't break anything, and everything it already downloaded stays saved. Just open the Ubuntu window again and paste the same install command you ran the first time: curl -fsSL https://get.tomsparkbox.com/install.sh | sudo bash It's built to be run again — it skips the parts that are already done and just finishes the downloads, usually a lot faster the second time. You'll know it worked when the big ONE-TIME BOOTSTRAP TOKEN box appears at the end. Save that code, it's your first login. If it stalls again, reply here.
Grimma84 wrote:
Thank you so much! I'll try it once my kids off the system in an hour!
Grimma84 wrote:
[SparkBox] Data directory (media/photos/books/manga): /opt/sparkbox/data curl: (23) Failure writing output to destination, passed 4229 returned 3533 got this when trying to run it again
tomspark wrote:
That curl error (23) is almost always a disk space issue — the installer needs several GB free. Try running 'df -h' to check your available space, especially on the root partition. If it's tight, you may need to free up space (old logs, downloads, etc.) or try installing to a different drive. Let me know what df shows and we'll get you sorted.
Grimma84 wrote:
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on none 5.9G 0 5.9G 0% /usr/lib/modules/6.18.33.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2 none 5.9G 4.0K 5.9G 1% /mnt/wsl drivers 466G 279G 188G 60% /usr/lib/wsl/drivers /dev/sdd 1007G 4.4G 952G 1% / none 5.9G 32K 5.9G 1% /mnt/wslg none 5.9G 0 5.9G 0% /usr/lib/wsl/lib rootfs 5.9G 2.8M 5.9G 1% /init none 5.9G 848K 5.9G 1% /run none 5.9G 0 5.9G 0% /run/lock none 5.9G 0 5.9G 0% /run/shm none 5.9G 80K 5.9G 1% /mnt/wslg/versions.txt none 5.9G 80K 5.9G 1% /mnt/wslg/doc C:\ 466G 279G 188G 60% /mnt/c none 1.0M 0 1.0M 0% /run/credentials/systemd-journald.service tmpfs 5.9G 0 5.9G 0% /tmp none 1.0M 0 1.0M 0% /run/credentials/systemd-resolved.service none 1.0M 0 1.0M 0% /run/credentials/getty@tty1.service tmpfs 1.2G 12K 1.2G 1% /run/user/1000
Grimma84 wrote:
says i have 188gb free, is it trying to install to wrong drive?
tomspark wrote:
Good catch! WSL can be tricky with storage. Your Linux partition (/dev/sdd) has 952GB free, which is plenty. But your Windows C: drive (shown as 188GB free) is what WSL sees for write operations. Try freeing up space on your Windows C: drive first (clear Downloads, Temp files, etc.), then retry the install command. If it still fails, you can tell the installer to use a different path by running: SPARKBOXDATA=/mnt/d/sparkbox curl -fsSL https://get.tomsparkbox.com/install.sh | sudo bash (assuming you have another drive at D:). Let me know if either works!
Grimma84 wrote:
ok did both those things, cleaned up the c drive, tried that command you just said then nothing, same error comming up
tomspark wrote:
Sorry for the runaround on this one — your disk space was fine all along (188GB free is plenty), so no more cleanup needed. Here's what's really going on: right after that Data directory line, the installer quietly checks the internet to make sure your computer's clock is right. On your machine that check is failing, and instead of saying so, the installer just stops — that's the confusing curl message. That's a bug on our side and I've flagged it. Best thing to try now: close the Ubuntu window, open PowerShell from the Start menu, and run wsl --shutdown Wait 15 seconds, then open Ubuntu again and re-run the same install command. That restarts the Linux side fresh, which usually clears this. Everything already downloaded is still saved. If the exact same error comes back, reply here and we'll dig further.
Grimma84 wrote:
[SparkBox] Data directory (media/photos/books/manga): /opt/sparkbox/data curl: (23) Failure writing output to destination, passed 338 returned 0 same issue...
tomspark wrote:
Thanks for trying that and for your patience — Tom flagged this as a bug in the installer's internet time-check step, and your case is exactly what we need to nail it down. I've marked this as high-priority in the bug log. In the meantime, you're completely safe to wait for a fix or try a different network (a VPN or different WiFi can sometimes clear this). We'll get you sorted — you haven't done anything wrong, and everything you've downloaded stays saved.
Grimma84 wrote:
OK sounds good, ill wait for a fix then, im super new to all this, just trying to setup jellyfish so the family and i can stream some content without taking out a second mortgage.....
tomspark wrote:
Sounds good — and for what it's worth, streaming for the family without a big monthly bill is exactly what this is built for, so you're in the right place. The fix is at the top of the list, and I'll reply right here in this thread the moment it's out so you don't have to keep checking back. Everything already downloaded stays saved, so you'll pick up right where you left off.
Grimma84 wrote:
Thank dude! You guys rock!
tomspark wrote:
Nope, plenty of free space on both sides—188GB on C: and 952GB on root. The curl error (23) usually signals a network hiccup during download rather than disk issues. WSL's internet can be flaky. Try running the install again, or restart WSL with 'wsl --shutdown' and retry. If it persists, try a different network or VPN to rule out connectivity. I'll know more if it still stalls after those tries.
Grimma84 wrote:
Ok I uave surfshark, it was working fine till the powerfully closed, came back in to run it again and keeps doing this. Tried closing wsl and starting a new powershell 20 seconds after, it still givers error.... should I try shutting my VPN off? I also don't know how to try a fiffeent network..
Grimma84 wrote:
Ok i turned surf shark off for now, it is now running the stack.....wonder if a setting was preventing this?
tomspark wrote:
That's great news! Looks like VPN was interfering with the installer's network time-check (the clock verification Tom mentioned). This is super helpful debugging info — finding the VPN angle is exactly what the team needs to nail down the fix. Once a patched installer ships, you should be able to re-enable VPN without issues. Thanks for your patience and for helping us track this down — you're all set to pick up where you left off!
Grimma84 wrote:
Yup super awesome! you rock dude! intall is going well.
Grimma84 wrote:
Hi, one more question where do i find Jellyfins ip to connect it to the tv?
tomspark wrote:
Good question! Open the SparkBox dashboard (usually http://localhost:5000 from your computer), go to Apps → Jellyfin, and you'll see a card showing your Jellyfin URL—it'll look like http://192.168.x.x:8096 or similar. Copy that address into your TV's browser. If you're connecting from outside your home, check the dashboard for the secure remote URL too. Let me know if you hit any snags!
tomspark wrote:
Good news on the disk space — 188GB is plenty. The curl error (23) isn't about disk. With WSL2, the issue is usually that the installer's network time-check is timing out, not the actual download. Try: (1) Run sudo ntpdate -u pool.ntp.org to sync WSL's clock, then retry the install command. (2) Or try a different network (mobile hotspot) to rule out local firewall/proxy. If it still stalls, we can debug deeper. Let me know which works!
Chris wrote:
Nineteen days late, but here it is: the installer fix shipped today in v1.6.452, and your thread is what pinned it down. What went wrong was ours, not Surfshark's. Right after that Data directory line, the installer checks your clock against the internet. With the VPN on, that check couldn't complete — and a flaw in the script meant a failed check killed the entire install rather than simply skipping it, without printing a word. That silence is why all you ever saw was curl: (23). It now says "not checked" and carries on. Nothing for you to redo, since you're already up and running. But you can leave Surfshark on next time you install.
Chris wrote:
Coming back with the other half of your thread — the part you actually opened with, where the installer stopped dead after the boot self-heal line and gave you nothing for ten minutes. Tom shipped that today in v1.6.459. The installer now tells you up front that downloading the apps is the longest step and can take 10-30 minutes, then prints a line every two minutes saying it is still working and how long it has been going. It also points you at a file you can watch live if you want the detail. Nothing for you to redo. But that dead screen that made you think it had hung is gone for the next person, and your thread is why.