User Feedback :: Bugs in current version of DSL
I found my problem. DSL2.3 wouldn't do a frugal install. Somehow I'd set the order that the BIOS looked for installers to first USB, second CDROM, third HD1 and fourth OTHER. I didn't realise that HD1 was hdb. Presumably it was trying to load from hdb (where I'd installed an old version of DSL) and it was getting part of the install from hdb and part from hda. When I removed hdb completely for troubleshooting I removed OTHER from the bios setting just in case, and then no frugal install worked at all. When I changed HD1 to HD0 then it worked fine.
I tried installing from DSL2.1 and DSL 2.2b and DSL 2.3 at least twice each looking for clues before I found that. Sorry to waste your time.
Now it works perfectly! (At least as far as I've tested.)
original here.