cant boot into linux..kernel panic :( ... please help.... still unable to get to linu

[mattn]

"Partition Check
VFS: Cannot open root device 03:01
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:01"

Heres the situation:

I moved my 80gb maxtor with linux from one computer to a totally different one. Thing is on the old computer it was using the standard IDE interface on the motherboard. Now, on this new mb I am not able to make the bios detect the hard drive so im using a promise ata66 controller to boot into linux. I suppose that linux is looking for hda on the regular ide channel and not the ata66 controller. Im using slackware 8... anybody have any solutions as to how i can make this work?

Also, when booting I see.. "PIIX4: IDE Controller on PCI bus 00 dev 39"

[ 16 September 2001: Message edited by: mattn ]

[ 16 September 2001: Message edited by: mattn ]

[ 19 September 2001: Message edited by: mattn ]

[Craig McPherson]

This is going to get a little bit tricky, but don'g panic, because it's fixable.

The first thing you need to do is have a boot disk that has Promise UDMA support on it, so you can boot the system. If you have a modern distribution installation CD, it'll probabliy do just fine. You can boot the system into single user mode using the boot disk/disc something like this at the disk/disc's boot prompt:

linux single root=/dev/hdXX

Since your hard drive if on a Promise controller, your hard drive will probably be "hde".

Once you've booted your system into single user mode, edit the system's /etc/fstab file, and change all the entries there to reflect the new hard drive device name.

Now, boot from the boot disk/disc again, but not in single-user mode.

Once you've booted the system, recompile the kernel with the neccessary UDMA support, edit your boot loader's configuration file with the appropriate information, and reinstall the boot loader.

You should now be able to boot from the hard drive.

Please post back here if you have problems. Good luck.

[mattn]

thanks for the help craig :)

when I try (from the boot: of the slack 8 disc) linux single root=/dev/hde I get a similar error.

"VFS: Cannot open root device 21:00
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 21:00"

I have no idea where to go next... If youve got anymore ideas please let me know. Ive got an idea though... perhaps I can move the drive back to the old pc and edit the fstab file to reflect the drive on the promise controller (/hde).. How does that sound?

[Craig McPherson]

Originally posted by mattn:
<STRONG>twhen I try (from the boot: of the slack 8 disc) linux single root=/dev/hde</STRONG>

You didn't specify the partition number. It'll be something like /dev/hde1.

[mattn]

same error except "VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 21:01"

what do u think about putting the hard drive back in the previous system and editing the fstab file from there?

I wanna try that soltuion but Im not sure what to edit the fstab file with.. im guessing /dev/hde or /dev/hde1??

[ 17 September 2001: Message edited by: mattn ]

[Craig McPherson]

1. Are you 100% sure the kernel on the boot disk includes support for your Promise IDE controller?

2. Are you 100% sure that you specified the correct device name? IE if the root filesystem was the first partition, you specified /dev/hde1?

3. Are you 100% sure that the drive is actually seen as /dev/hde by Linux? You can check this by acting like you're going to do a new installation with your distribution, and watch the bootup messages while the installation kernel is booting. This'll also let you verify that the installation kernel can handle the IDE controller.

4. Did you remember to use the "single" boot argument to boot into single-user mode?

[mattn]

1) Im not totally sure... but im using the slackware 8 boot disk, so I imagine it would.

2) No. I don't know exactly what device it is. That is why I said I saw:

"PIIX4: IDE Controller on PCI bus 00 dev 39"

I imagine that is the promise controller... now I don't know which device that exactly is...

3) same as above..

4) yes, i used single user root=/dev/hde1

[mattn]

help me pleez :)

[bdg1983]

You will need to boot using the extra parameters specified in the Ultra66 NHF (http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/hardware/udma66.html). ide2=.....

[mattn]

i tried using the extra parameters but i still get the SAME error :(

At the lilo boot: i typed:

Linux ide2=0xfff0,0xffe4 ide3=0xffa8,0xffe0

and I still get the error

"Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 03:01"

please help if u can.. . this is really getting on my nerves!! :(

[mattn]

ok now i really screwed myself.... o edited the fstab file to make it boot from /dev/hde1 and it appears that the device is not /dev/hde1 so now I cant boot into linux at all... it goes into single user mode but everything is read only and i cant edit the fstab file... and when i try to do vi fstab it crashes...

help me :(

[Linuxcool]

If you are in single user mode and the partition is read-only, try running the mount command by itself. It will give you a list of partitions that are mounted. See what partition is mounted as root ' / '. Then try running this command:
mount -n -o remount,rw /dev/put_the_partition_here.
Then see if you can now edit the file. Also, that error that refers to device 03:01, it's referring to /dev/hda1.

[mattn]

thanks a lot Linuxcool that worked :)

i was able to write to the file. I guess im just going to have to move all my files to my win box now and then reinstall linux somehow on the 80gb...

[Linuxcool]

You're welcome.

Out of curiosity could you post a copy of your fstab and lilo.conf files?

[mattn]

fstab:

/dev/hda2 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/hda1 / ext2 defaults 1 1
none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0

****lilo.conf

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
lba32 # Allow booting past 1024th cylinder with a recent BIOS
boot = /dev/hda
#compact # faster, but won't work on all systems.
prompt
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# ramdisk = 0 # paranoia setting
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = Linux
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends

[bdg1983]

Since your hd is now hde, shouldn't all the references to hda in /etc/fstab and /etc/lilo.conf now be changed to hde as Craig already suggested?

[mattn]

not really... cuz i moved the drive back to the original pc. im just going to move the files to a windows box via samba and then reinstall linux on the new pc with the promise controller.

[bdg1983]

I'm sure that was your problem. You did not do what Craig originally suggested. Change hda to hde.

Can't blame us. :rolleyes:

[Linuxcool]

Thanks for the copies. Everything looks fine to run on hda. Too bad you just couldn't change hda to hde and get it working.