diff --git a/test/installer.sh b/test/installer.sh
index a823a2b76a42..1cf18c9f37a8 100644
--- a/test/installer.sh
+++ b/test/installer.sh
@@ -34,8 +34,72 @@ mountPoint=/tmp/inst-mnt
 mkdir -p $mountPoint
 mount "$targetDevice" $mountPoint || exit 1
 
+mkdir -p $mountPoint/dev $mountPoint/proc $mountPoint/sys || exit 1
+mount --bind /dev $mountPoint/dev || exit 1
+mount --bind /proc $mountPoint/proc || exit 1
+mount --bind /sys $mountPoint/sys || exit 1
+
+trap "umount $mountPoint/dev; umount $mountPoint/proc; umount $mountPoint/sys; umount $mountPoint" EXIT
+
+mkdir -p $mountPoint/tmp
+mkdir -p $mountPoint/var
+
+
+# Create the necessary Nix directories on the target device, if they
+# don't already exist.
+mkdir -p \
+    $mountPoint/nix/store \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/nix/gcroots \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/nix/temproots \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/nix/manifests \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/nix/userpool \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/nix/profiles \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/nix/db \
+    $mountPoint/nix/var/log/nix/drvs
+
 
 # Copy Nix to the Nix store on the target device.
-mkdir -p $mountPoint/nix/store/
-rsync -av $(cat @nixClosure@) $mountPoint/nix/store/ || exit 1
+echo "copying Nix to $targetDevice...."
+for i in $(cat @nixClosure@); do
+    echo "  $i"
+    rsync -a $i $mountPoint/nix/store/ || exit 1
+done
 
+
+# Register the paths in the Nix closure as valid.  This is necessary
+# to prevent them from being deleted the first time we install
+# something.  (I.e., Nix will see that, e.g., the glibc path is not
+# valid, delete it to get it out of the way, but as a result nothing
+# will work anymore.)
+for i in $(cat @nixClosure@); do
+    echo $i
+    echo # deriver
+    echo 0 # nr of references
+done \
+| chroot $mountPoint @nix@/bin/nix-store --register-validity || exit 1
+
+
+# Create the required /bin/sh symlink; otherwise lots of things
+# (notably the system() function) won't work.
+mkdir -p $mountPoint/bin
+ln -sf $(type -tp sh) $mountPoint/bin/sh
+
+
+# Enable networking in the chroot.
+mkdir -p $mountPoint/etc
+cp /etc/resolv.conf $mountPoint/etc/
+
+
+# Do a nix-pull.
+nixpkgsURL=http://nix.cs.uu.nl/dist/nix/nixpkgs-0.11pre6984
+chroot $mountPoint @nix@/bin/nix-pull $nixpkgsURL/MANIFEST
+
+
+# Install some packages.
+rm -rf $mountPoint/scratch
+mkdir $mountPoint/scratch
+curl $nixpkgsURL/nixexprs.tar.bz2 | tar xj -C $mountPoint/scratch
+
+nixpkgsName=$(cd $mountPoint/scratch && ls)
+
+chroot $mountPoint @nix@/bin/nix-env -f /scratch/$nixpkgsName -i aterm