diff --git a/fill-disk.sh b/fill-disk.sh
index 170504b7501..f6ecda9d3e0 100755
--- a/fill-disk.sh
+++ b/fill-disk.sh
@@ -8,12 +8,16 @@ sysvinitPath=@sysvinitPath@
 bootPath=@bootPath@
 modutils=@modutils@
 
+echo mounting special filesystems
+
 mount -t proc proc /proc
 mount -t sysfs sys /sys
 
 # make a complete /dev filesystem
 # ripped permissions and everything from anaconda (loader2/devices.h)
 
+echo making device nodes
+
 # consoles
 
 #mknod -m 0600 /dev/console c 5 1
@@ -75,9 +79,6 @@ mknod -m 0660 /dev/hdd3 b 22 67
 
 mknod -m 0600 /dev/initctl p
 
-echo "dev"
-cd /dev; echo *
-
 targetdrive=/dev/hda
 device=${targetdrive}1
 mkfs.ext2 ${device}
@@ -111,14 +112,16 @@ root=/tmp/mnt
 
 mkdir -p $root
 
-mount -t ext2 $device $root
+echo mounting the target drive
 
-cd /sys; echo *
+mount -t ext2 $device $root
 
 ##
 ## Create a directory tree on the installation disk.
 ##
 
+echo creating file system hierarchy on target drive
+
 make_dir 00755 /bin
 make_dir 00755 /boot
 make_dir 00755 /dev
@@ -149,6 +152,8 @@ make_dir 00755 /var
 ## Add a few devices to /dev on the install disk. This is by far complete.
 ##
 
+echo making device nodes on target drive
+
 mknod $root/dev/null c 1 3
 mknod -m 0600 $root/dev/console c 5 1
 mknod -m 0600 $root/dev/tty c 5 0
@@ -162,7 +167,7 @@ touch_file /etc/group
 rm -f $root/etc/mtab
 #ln -s /proc/mounts $root/etc/mtab
 
-cat /proc/mounts
+#cat /proc/mounts
 
 ## Probe for CD device which contains our CD here and mount /nix and
 ## /nixpkgs from it inside the ramdisk. Anaconda uses kudzu for this.
@@ -173,8 +178,6 @@ cat /proc/mounts
 
 DEVICES="/dev/hd?"
 
-echo devices ${DEVICES}
-
 for i in ${DEVICES}
 do
 echo "Looking for CDROM in: $i"
@@ -192,11 +195,8 @@ fi
 fi
 done
 
-echo cddevice ${cddevice}
+echo switch to /nix and /nixpkgs from CD
 
-#echo path $PATH
-ls -l @coreutils@/bin/l*
-#rm -rf /nix
 ln -s /cdrom/nixpkgs /nixpkgs
 mount --bind /cdrom/nix /nix
 
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ cp -fa /cdrom/scripts $root/tmp
 #$NIX_CMD_PATH/nix-pull $manifest
 
 echo adding packages
+
 export NIX_ROOT=$root
 unset NIX_DATA_DIR
 unset NIX_LOG_DIR
diff --git a/make-disk.sh b/make-disk.sh
index 432585cf871..b94aac69846 100755
--- a/make-disk.sh
+++ b/make-disk.sh
@@ -103,8 +103,6 @@ cp -fa ${nixpkgs} ${archivesDir}
 
 echo copying packges from store
 
-echo GRUB ${Grub}
-
 #cp -fa --parents ${nixDeps} ${archivesDir}
 cp -fau --parents ${utilLinux} ${archivesDir}
 cp -fau --parents ${Grub} ${archivesDir}