[SOLVED] Boot-Up err Msg. after kitten tap danced on keyboard

drmjh · 03-15-2011, 03:30 PM

Our kitten did a lightening tap dance on the computer keyboard and 'hung it up'.

Doing a cold Re-boot, I am presented with:

Code:

mount: mounting /dev on /root/dev  failed: no such file
mount: mounting /sys on /root/sys  failed:   no such file
"    "                "          /proc on /root/proc   "    "                     "

target file system doesn't have /sbin/init

no init found

Try  init=bootarg

###The cursor follows this:
(initramfs) _

##The init=bootarg, didn't help. I am not familiar with the shell command sequences during boot-up. Any Help would be appreciated.

pljvaldez · 03-15-2011, 04:22 PM

Try booting with a live CD and then chroot to the installed partition and update grub.

drmjh · 03-15-2011, 05:45 PM

pljvaldez,
I do have an older ver. of a Ubuntu live cd.
My prowess on the command line is not impressive.
Would you care to quickly jot down exactly how I would do this?
Matthew

pljvaldez · 03-15-2011, 06:23 PM

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Gr...0from%20LiveCD

Scroll down to "Method 3 - CHROOT" which is a generic way to fix this from any linux live CD. Basically, what you do is mount your hard drive partitions, then use chroot to make the live CD think it is working from the hard disk files. From there, you just repair grub with update-grub and or grub-install. If you have to go the "grub-install" route, make sure you have the proper partition name mounted or you'll install grub somewhere else...

drmjh · 03-16-2011, 12:21 PM

Thanks pljvaldez,
That is just the ticket!
Matthew

pljvaldez · 03-16-2011, 12:28 PM

Glad it helped! The linux command line is powerful and flexible. Even if you don't use it all the time, it's good to become familiar with it.

Please mark this thread as solved (under the "Thread Tools" menu at the top).

TobiSGD · 03-16-2011, 01:19 PM

Just curious, your kitten destroyed your bootloader with dancing on the keyboard? You should set your root-password to a undanceable one.

H_TeXMeX_H · 03-16-2011, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

Just curious, your kitten destroyed your bootloader with dancing on the keyboard? You should set your root-password to a undanceable one.

It must have been while logged in as root.

drmjh · 03-16-2011, 02:05 PM

It looked too easy and I shouldn't have shouted victory so quickly.
I am on the live CD (on my other computer), have a root shell and my target partition is sda1, which I mounted as instructed.
When I entered

Code:

grub install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda1

I get

Code:

/bin/shell: grub-install: not found

similarly with update-grub.
I can change directory and looked in /sbin but it was not found.
apropos the kitten dance: I was not logged in as root. I don't believe the password is that vulnerable; according to my wife,, the kitten sprung onto the keyboard while she was downloading a google page?
Thanks for all your interest.
Matthew.

syg00 · 03-16-2011, 02:51 PM

I would have been *mighty * surprised had that worked. If you're getting messages like that grub has already done it's job.

Have you tried fsck on that filesystem (from the liveCD) ?. I wonder if the moggy managed to find a "magic" key sequence ?.
Pussies always lead to trouble ....

drmjh · 03-16-2011, 04:18 PM

Thank you everybody!
The problem is solved. So far, no harm done. fsck showed no disk errors. I played around with various options on the root menu of the live cd and somehow managed to get it to re-install grub.
Matthew

TobiSGD · 03-16-2011, 04:21 PM

World of wonders: Your kitten destroys your bootloader with a magic dance, and you repair it with playing with a menu.

H_TeXMeX_H · 03-17-2011, 08:43 AM

Just in case, run memtest86.

drmjh · 03-17-2011, 01:22 PM

TobiSGD, your comments are taken into consideration.

In retrospect, though solved, my experience with this problem and the solution, will prove to be useless for anyone else reading this.
a. I have no idea of just what the problem was and no chance of finding out. What combination of keys the kitten's dance across the keyboard entered, at a time when the Firefox was downloading a file-(is this even relative?) has to remain unknown.
b. every try to cold boot the Ubuntu system up, ended with a boot into the normal boot sequence, at the command line, plus Err. Msg's. I assumed the problem was a faulty or absent grub installer because that was what the Err Msg.s projected. However, in my very limited experience, Err. Msg.s are frequently erroneous. However, I did try to re-install the Grub from the command line but the Err. Msg. stated File unknown, no such file.
c. Going over the procedures outlined on Linux Questions, I came upon this:

" 7. You may find you get a repeated "error: Cannot open /boot/grub/device.map" message. If this happens try rebooting. The UUID method may actually work but throws an error message falsely. Using the label name does not seem to evoke the same repeated error message. "

This is possibly what transpired after fooling around with the "MENU" options, such as fsck, etc. Reboot is a Menu option and I chose it blindly and voila!, up came the ubuntu splash page.
H_TEX MEX_H,
Thanks for the tip, I have done so and all is right.
Matthew

justboo2u · 03-19-2011, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmjh

TobiSGD, your comments are taken into consideration.

In retrospect, though solved, my experience with this problem and the solution, will prove to be useless for anyone else reading this.....

On the contrary...

To fix problem:

1) get rid of cat...
2) get rid of wife...
3) 1 AND 2...