Troubleshooting “Error Setting Up Base Repository” During CentOS 7 (1503) Installation: USB Media Validation & Network Source Fixes


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When attempting to install CentOS 7 (1503 build) via USB media created with LiveUSB Creator, many users encounter two critical errors:

1. "Error setting up base repository" 
2. "This media is not good to install from" during verification

First, verify your installation media integrity using these terminal commands:

# Check ISO checksum (compare with official CentOS 7 checksums)
sha256sum CentOS-7-x86_64-Everything-1503-01.iso

# Verify USB media blocks
badblocks -v /dev/sdX

If USB validation fails, try these alternative approaches:

# Create bootable media using dd instead
sudo dd if=CentOS-7-x86_64-Everything-1503-01.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

For network installation alternatives, consider these repository URLs:

http://mirror.centos.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/
http://archive.kernel.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/
http://vault.centos.org/7.1.1503/os/x86_64/

Add these boot parameters when starting installation:

linux dd nomodeset inst.repo=cdrom inst.noverifyssl

For HP EliteBook 8540w hardware:

# Try these additional kernel parameters
acpi=off noapic nousb

If automatic setup fails, manually configure repository post-installation:

# Create manual repo file
cat > /etc/yum.repos.d/centos-base.repo <

When installing CentOS 7 (1503 release) from bootable media, you might encounter two critical errors:

  1. "Error setting up base repository" in Installation Summary
  2. "This media is not good to install from" during verification

First, verify the integrity of your media creation process. The standard checksum validation can be performed with:

# For USB media
sha256sum /dev/sdX | grep -i $(cat /media/sha256sum.txt)

# For ISO verification
sha256sum CentOS-7-x86_64-Everything-1503-01.iso

Common pitfalls include:

  • Using faulty USB creation tools (try dd instead)
  • Incomplete ISO downloads
  • Hardware issues with USB ports

When local media fails, network installation often succeeds. The correct URL format should be:

http://mirror.centos.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/

Key configuration parameters:

# Example kickstart snippet for network install
url --url="http://mirror.centos.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/"
repo --name="base" --baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/centos/7/os/x86_64/

For HP 8540w models, additional steps may be required:

# BIOS settings to check:
1. Disable Secure Boot
2. Enable Legacy Support
3. Set SATA to AHCI mode

# Potential driver issues:
yum install hpijs

When the installer fails, check these log files before rebooting:

# Access console (Ctrl+Alt+F2)
tail -f /var/log/anaconda/journal.log
grep -i repo /tmp/packaging.log

Common error patterns include:

  • Missing repodata/repomd.xml
  • SSL certificate issues with mirrors
  • Incorrect repository metadata

As last resort, manually mount and configure the repository:

mkdir /mnt/install
mount /dev/sr0 /mnt/install
cat > /etc/yum.repos.d/local.repo <