Raspnode error and external drive

[soy]

Using a stock Canakit RPI3 and a 250 external USB hard drive, I started the installation according to the instructions on http://raspnode.com/diyBitcoin.html#raspconfig

I had a few difficulties setting up the RPI, schlepping it across the room to my TV as it is the only HDMI monitor.  I didn't want to use the REALVNC after seeing there's a fee of some sort so went with xtightvncserver.   But I had set up in a terminal as root and started the server.  When I connected using xvncviewer I was logged in to root's desktop.  I started the ~/bin parts installation there in the /root because when I open a terminal it opens in /root not /home/pi.  I'm hoping that when I finish the installation ssh in and kill the vncserver and restart it as pi then use xvncviewer and connect to pi's desktop and start bitcoin-qt on pi's desktop.

I ran into a  "g++: internal compiler error: Killed (program cc1plus)" error and worked from the solution in this post: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=304389.0 but zeroing out the /etc/dphys-swapfile.

I'm now running the 'make -j2' command again.  When it's complete, and if it finishes successfully after 2½ hours, I'll try killing the vncserver via ssh and try starting it as pi. 

My question is: the external drive I'm going to use for the datadir is formatted as ext4.  Can I take that and using SyncToy 2.1, copy the blockchain from a Windows machine to the USB drive and when the Raspnode Bitcoin-QT starts will it have any difficulties with that blockchain?  Thanks.

soy

[soy]

Didn't take 2½ hours.

Couldn't clear lock for vnc so rebooted and ssh'd in.  Ran tightvncserver :1 then connected.  I did notice that if I did an nmap of the subnet the pi has port 5901 assigned to vnc-1 and 6001 to X11:1

Connected and have Pi's X desktop.  Could start bitcoin-qt but think I'll try getting /blocks/ on my external USB drive from a Windows machine first.

[soy]

Ran bitcoin-qt as user Pi but it couldn't find the command.  Ran find, located bitcoin-qt, made a link in Pi's home directory, and bob's your uncle it's syncing.

[soy]

Seems to have a problem.  Responds to nmap, showing ssh, is open as well as 5901 & 6001 but won't respond to ssh in nor VCN. 

[soy]

I had difficulties starting bitcoin-qt from the link to /bin/bitcoin/src/bitcoin-qt so I had tried starting from a terminal on the desktop and that's when I started getting an error.

I deleted the link in the pi home directory and put link -s in /usr/bin to the above bitcoin-qt and now it starts when command by user pi, no problem.  I shut down vnc, looked in my ssh session, and the debug.log was continuing to update so bitcoin-qt was running headless.  I did reconnect with vnc and sure enough the blockchain was continuing to download.

[soy]

Hasn't updated since I removed the link to /bin/bitcoin/src/qt/bitcoin-qt from the /home/pi directory and put a link in /usr/bin.  Shutting down the program there was a Runaway exception.