3 files changed, 38 insertions, 16 deletions
diff --git a/Master/install-tl b/Master/install-tl
index 1ca4c2aa88f..9baea198928 100755
--- a/Master/install-tl
+++ b/Master/install-tl
@@ -1818,13 +1818,11 @@ installation, either a local directory via C</path/to/directory> or a
 C<file:/> url, or a network location via a C<http://> or C<ftp://> url.
 (No other protocols are supported.)
 
-If the repository is local, the installation type (compressed or live) is
-automatically determined, by checking for the presence of a
-C<archive> directory relative to the root.  Compressed is
-preferred if both are available, since it is faster.  Here's an example
-of using a local directory:
-
-  -repository /local/TL/repository
+The default is to pick a mirror automatically, using
+L<http://mirror.ctan.org/systems/texlive/tlnet>; the chosen mirror is
+used for the entire download.  You can use the special argument C<ctan>
+as an abbreviation for this.  See L<http://ctan.org> for more about CTAN
+and its mirrors.
 
 If the repository is on the network, trailing C</> characters and/or
 trailing C</tlpkg> and C</archive> components are ignored.  For example,
@@ -1836,11 +1834,13 @@ Of course a real hostname and its particular top-level CTAN path
 have to be specified.  The list of CTAN mirrors is available at
 L<http://ctan.org/mirrors>.
 
-The default is to pick a mirror automatically, using
-L<http://mirror.ctan.org/systems/texlive/tlnet>; the chosen mirror is
-used for the entire download.  You can use the special repository name
-C<ctan> as an abbreviation for this.  See L<http://ctan.org> for more
-about CTAN and its mirrors.
+If the repository is local, the installation type (compressed or live) is
+automatically determined, by checking for the presence of a
+C<archive> directory relative to the root.  Compressed is
+preferred if both are available, since it is faster.  Here's an example
+of using a local directory:
+
+  -repository /local/TL/repository
 
 After installation is complete, you can use that installation as the
 repository for another installation.  If you chose to install less than
diff --git a/Master/texmf/scripts/texlive/tlmgr.pl b/Master/texmf/scripts/texlive/tlmgr.pl
index 9bdf80b7305..4bb05903705 100755
--- a/Master/texmf/scripts/texlive/tlmgr.pl
+++ b/Master/texmf/scripts/texlive/tlmgr.pl
@@ -3931,10 +3931,14 @@ sub init_tlmedia
 Unable to download the remote TeX Live database,
 but found a local copy so using that.
 
-You may want to try specifying an explicit CTAN mirror to use;
-see the documentation for the --repository option in
-the output of  install-tl --help  for information and examples.
+You may want to try specifying an explicit or different CTAN mirror;
+see the information and examples for the -repository option at
+http://tug.org/texlive/doc/install-tl.html
+(or in the output of install-tl --help).
+
 END_NO_INTERNET
+        # above text duplicated in TLPDB.pm, sorry.
+
         $tlmediasrc = TeXLive::TLMedia->new(-location => $location,
           -tlpdbfile => $loc_copy_of_remote_tlpdb);
         $local_copy_tlpdb_used = 1;
diff --git a/Master/tlpkg/TeXLive/TLPDB.pm b/Master/tlpkg/TeXLive/TLPDB.pm
index 3d1e2b94bb7..903513a1ca7 100644
--- a/Master/tlpkg/TeXLive/TLPDB.pm
+++ b/Master/tlpkg/TeXLive/TLPDB.pm
@@ -291,7 +291,25 @@ sub from_file {
       $found++;
     }
   } until (!$ret);
-  tlwarn("unusable location $path, could not load any packages\n") if (!$found);
+  if (! $found) {
+    tlwarn("$0: Could not load packages from\n");
+    tlwarn("  $path\n");
+    if ($path =~ m,/2008(/|$),) {
+      # have to do this differently in 09/10, since the path will be the same.
+      tlwarn("TeX Live 2008 is no longer available for updates.\n")
+    } else {
+      tlwarn(<<END_EXPLICIT_MIRROR);
+
+You may want to try specifying an explicit or different CTAN mirror;
+see the information and examples for the -repository option at
+http://tug.org/texlive/doc/install-tl.html
+(or in the output of install-tl --help).
+
+END_EXPLICIT_MIRROR
+      # above text duplicated in tlmgr.pl, sorry.
+    }
+  }
+
   # remove the un-xz-ed tlpdb file from temp dir
   # THAT IS RACY!!! we should fix that in some better way with tempfile
   close($retfh);