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Old 03-22-2005, 12:03 AM   #1
njugs79
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Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 37

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My Redhat Linux 9 machine won't startup but gives a startup error"


Am having problems stating up my linux system. I have installed Redhat 9 on my computer. The problem first started when i initiated the machine to reboot. The computer seemed to take longer than usual to startup and "hung" while starting up. It issued a warning during this stage of the startup to the effect of the "system being shut down abnormally/incorrectly" and that "it was going to sleep for 30seconds" (i cant quite remember the exact message but it was along those lines). The system kept on issuing the same message "over and over" (the sleep message) and being stubbornly impatient i restarted the computer!! (That may have been the worst thing to do i know). After restarting, the system could not startup but issued an error instead as shown below:

"VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem)
VFS: Cannot open root device “LABEL=/” or 00:00
Please append a correct “root=” boot option
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 00:00"

Being a newbie am not sure how to proceed from this point without losing any important data! Am sure the same has happened before to anyone who forced a linux machine to re-start. I would appreciate any help forwarded to me and also advice anyone against my folly. Thanks.

My email: njuguna79@yahoo.com
 
Old 03-22-2005, 05:29 AM   #2
alred
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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: singapore
Distribution: puppy and Ubuntu and ... erh ... redhat(sort of) :( ... + the venerable bsd and solaris ^_^
Posts: 658
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you can try this

boot from your first redhat9 cdrom
press F5 and type " linux rescue "
choose " continue "
note down those information about " chroot " on the screen
go to /mnt/sysimage and check your /etc/lilo.conf if you are using lilo

most of the time it looks like :

.......

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-8
label=linux
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.20-8.img
read-only
append="root=LABEL=/ "

........


chroot to /mnt/sysimage and run the command " lilo "
exit and reboot

worst come to worst you still can recover some files with the above procedures.
Good Luck


::needs to clarify all these though
 
Old 03-23-2005, 12:50 AM   #3
njugs79
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Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 37

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Just so that anyone interested is up to speed, i posted a follow up on this issue (which am happy to say is now sorted). For those who missed it, the follow up was as below:
"As a follow up to my post on the same issue (Ref: "My Redhat Linux 9 machine won't startup but gives a startup error"), i have an update on the issue. After searching the net and trying to troubleshoot the problem but not actually altering anything in the system, the system just started up normally when i tried again the morning after!!???????!? The machine booted up without any apparent errors and i was able to login as root.

Then comes the snag...after login, i started up Mozilla web browser and everything seemed fine coz my Redhat homepage opened. However, after a while the system just went nuts!

The machine just displayed a screen filled with streaked colourful lines running down the screen! On the keyboard, the both the CAPS LOCK and SCROOL LOCK lights flickered on and off continously. The system doesn't seem to be responding and i am now forced with the "unfamous" option of resetting. Any comments?? This thing really has me up the wall!!"

SOLUTION: BAD RAM CHIP!!! CHANGED IT AND IT WORKED!
THANKS ALL!!!
 
  


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