can't boot, how do I change config files?
 

Hi,
I'm in the process of upgrading from RH7.3 to RH9
Everything seemed to be going fine, until it was time to boot from the HD.
It hangs at

Initializing USB controller (usb-unci):

I've searched for causes and it may be I need to check the /etc/modprobe.conf, or other files. But how do I bypass the check so it will boot?
When hung, if I hit Ctrl-C, it goes into

INIT: Entering runlevel:5

then reports

Checking for new hardware/etc/rc5.d/S05kudzo: line 46: /usr/sbin/kudzu: No such file or directory [FAILED]
Updating /etc/fstab execvp: No such file or directory [FAILED]

then hangs again on

Bringing up loopback interface:

There might have been errors earlier (before the INIT: version 2.84 booting etc but it's scrolled off the screen). So, same question, how can I see the boot log if I can't boot?

Also, I do have a boot disktette (created from the RH9 upgrade CD procedures). When I boot from it, it gets so far and then

boot:
Loading
Boot failed: please change disks and press a key to continue.

is that normal?

thanks
linoj

Maybe you could try the kernel parameter "nousb"? If you need to change configuration files, you could try a live-cd like knoppix to get a working environment.
Hope that helps.

sorry for the noobieness but how do set the "nousb" kernal parameter?

never mind, got passed that

hi,
now it's hanging on

Bringing up loopback interface:

is there a kernal param to get past the network config too?

linoj

Sounds like something is pretty badly b0rked if it's hanging on bringing up the loopback interface. Try booting into single user mode (append the word single to the kernel command line, just as you did with nousb) and trying to see what has gone wrong. Hopefully dmesg and/or the system logs should give you some ideas.

well, looking at dmesg
it appears the first sign of trouble comes much earlier, in PCI checks as follows (pardon the typos, I'm transcribing)
(booting with "nousb noprobe text single")

PCI: PCI BIOS revision 2.10 entry at 0xfdb81, last bus=2
PCI: Using configuration type 1
PCI: Probing PCI hardware
PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 0 of device 00:12.0
PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 1 of device 00:12.0
PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 0 of device 00:12.1
PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 1 of device 00:12.1
Limiting direct PCI/PCI transfers.

then later after the file systems are mounted

PCI: Enabling device 00:12.1 (0000 -> 0003)
PCI: No IRQ known for interrupt pin B of deviced 00:12.1. Please try using pci=biosirq.
Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000
printing eio:
c01d3dbe
*pde = 00000000
Oops: 0002

and then a bunch of values that includes a dump of registers and a stack and call trace on a pci_driver... ?
I don't even know if this is related to the other issues

perhaps I should just backup and install a clean install of RH9 (this was an upgrade from 7.3)