[SOLVED] error 6 mounting ext3, kernel panic: No init found

Avatar · 10-28-2009, 02:29 PM

Hello, I have searched here and on Google but have found nothing helpful. So I hope someone knows this.

Situation: old computer, veeeeeerrrry old distro (Mandrake 9.2 with kernel 2.4.22-10mdk). It is dual booted with Windows 2000 Server.

Due to removing the HDD that had LILO on it (an IDE drive) I had to reconfigure - with help - to be able to boot into Mandrake using a boot floppy. But when I get to LILO I get this error.

Code:

mounting /proc filesystem
creating root device
Mounting root filesystem
mount: error 6 mounting ext3 flags defaults
well, retrying without the option flags
mount: error 6 mounting ext3
well, retrying read-only without any flag
mount: error 6 mounting ext3
pivotroot: pivot_root (/sysroot, /sysroot/initrd) failed: 2
Remounting devfs at correct place if necessary
Mounted devfs on /dev
Freeing unused kernel memory: 156K freed
Kernel panic: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel.

I have been able to glean that error 6 means the device does not exist.

Note that the drive is a SATA drive, but Mandrake lists it as hdc (and not sda) in the existing fstab and lilo.conf. I have used this install since 2003 and it has worked well, until I removed the IDE drive. I tried changing the entries from hdc to sda and back but the error is still there. Ideas? I am sure it is to do with the way my boot files are set up.

Here is my current /etc/fstab:

Code:

/dev/hdc5 / ext3 defaults 1 1
none /dev/pts devpts mode=0620 0 0
/dev/hdc7 /home ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/hdb /mnt/cdrom auto user,noauto,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto user,codepage=850,noauto,sync,iocharset=iso8859-15,exec 0 0
#/dev/hda1 /mnt/win_c vfat codepage=850,iocharset=iso8859-15 0 0
/dev/hdc1 /mnt/win_d ntfs ro,iocharset=iso8859-15 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hdc6 swap swap defaults 0 0

lilo.conf

Code:

boot=/dev/hdc5
map=/boot/map
# vga=normal
default="Win2K_Server"
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=200
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz-secure
	label="linux-secure"
	root=/dev/hdc5
	initrd=/boot/initrd-secure.img
	append="devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdc6 splash=silent"
	read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux"
	root=/dev/hdc5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdc6 splash=silent"
	vga=788
	read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux-nonfb"
	root=/dev/hdc5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="devfs=mount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdc6"
	read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="failsafe"
	root=/dev/hdc5
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append="failsafe devfs=nomount acpi=ht resume=/dev/hdc6"
	read-only
#other=/dev/hda1
#	label="Windows_ME"
#	table=/dev/hda
other=/dev/hdc1
	label="Win2K_Server"
	table=/dev/hdc

Do I need to run mkinitrd? How can I find out what devices/partitions Mandrake is seeing? (I'm running Knoppix now, chrooted into Mandrake, and knoppix sees /dev/sda)

Note: Although I've been using Linux for a while, I've only used it here and there and don't work with the guts of it. So please be as complete as possible (what commands to type etc) with any suggestions as I'm pretty much a newb. Thanks!

Avatar · 10-28-2009, 03:02 PM

New info:
/proc is empty under Mandrake, meaning /proc/partitions does not exist (which would be why I'm getting error 6). How can I rebuild /proc? Should I just copy stuff over from the LiveCD?
(EDIT: never mind, I just figured out that /proc is supposed to be populated on boot -- so my problem is still figuring out which device/disk name to list in lilo.conf and in fstab)

ikem · 10-28-2009, 03:06 PM

I am not sure, but maybe it is a BIOS thing? I mean, "show sata as pata drives" is "off". Stuff like that.

Avatar · 10-28-2009, 03:14 PM

ikem, thanks but no, I haven't touched the BIOS since Linux worked; the only thing I changed was that I removed the IDE drive containing LILO and then messed with my boot settings to try and get it to boot in the new configuration.

ikem · 10-29-2009, 07:28 AM

> Note that the drive is a SATA drive, but Mandrake lists it as hdc
SATA drive is shown as PATA drive. Ok.

> I have used this install since 2003 and it has worked well, until I removed the IDE drive.
And now you have no drives in your box? o.O

Avatar · 10-29-2009, 09:26 AM

Ikem, I *had* an IDE drive (which had Windows ME on it as C: and LILO in the boot table) and a SATA drive (with Windows Server 2000 as D: and Mandrake).

I removed the IDE drive containing the boot info. I still have the SATA drive installed.

I can boot into Windows 2000 no problem and I can get into Mandrake as far as the message in my OP. Since removing the IDE drive, Mandrake is confused about which partition it is on I think....

Avatar · 10-29-2009, 10:51 AM

OK - I think I know the problem, but I don't know how to fix it.

Mandrake is reading the drive as hdc (*I think*)
But Knoppix is reading the drive as sda.

The problem is that when I edit lilo.conf and /etc/fstab, then run /sbin/lilo from Knoppix (in chrooted environment) lilo fails unless the drive is listed as sda. But I cannot boot with the drive listed as sda because that is not where Mandrake thinks it is. I need to be able to try and run /sbin/lilo with the drive listed as hdc.

Any suggestions?

Avatar · 10-29-2009, 11:31 AM

Never mind, I figured it out.

By some miracle I managed to find my original installation CD of Mandrake 9.2 tucked away in a dusty drawer. I was able to do a repair boot and edit my lilo the way Mandrake wants it.

Now I can boot fine!