how i arrived in this situation, i've described here:
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=124441
I mention it because, from what i've read-- no one else has a Kernel Panic issue from problems which began under the normal OS operation, but rather under installations, or upgrades-- this is NOT the situation here.
but maybe that's not relevant?-- so, at this point, i'm trying to focus on a solution, regardless of the cause. therefore, i'm looking for help with:
GRUB - what can i do there? what can it "do for me"?
Kernel (and actions related to "recompiling" it?)
How much "damage" can i do to existing Data by playing w/ miscellaneous parameters while in a state of "Kernel Panic"?
Is the damage i've already done to the once perfectly functional Filesystem-- irreperable? is there any point in my troubling over this, or is it shot already
by the looks of things?
i'm afraid to move on and try some stuff for fear of further disrupting my chances of recovering existing data. i'm not going to foolishly pretend to know how to proceed, so the best i can think of is to try to illustrate what's going on, so maybe someone can tell me what to read, what to try, etc.
i feel so ignorant about the situation, so i've got to fill that gap by learning. sorry to ramble, but since i don't know the technical, it's all i can do. i appreciate your patience if you'll read on...
i know i've got the Filesystem, i've got root and the system users (and all the knowledge thereof from learning about configuring localhost, for example from Gnome or KDE). yet, i can not "see" any of that. the GRUB commandline (if that's what it truly is), as described below, doesn't show me what i'm used to seeing. for example, if i'd type "cd ~", there's no "home" directory, and "root" has nothing in it. i have vague knowledge of the 2 partitions -- the filesystem partition (the big one) and the "boot" partition(?) just a little one. i must assume that at this point, i'm looking at stuff from the "little" boot partition? see-- i'm clueless!
here's basically what's happening: Fedora Core 5 (recently updated to new Kernel-- but i'm convinced my problem is due to my own CLI command executed--i believe i may have accidentally "erased" or "wrote over" /root/ somehow)
1. cold boot
2. boots "normally" into Fedora GRUB graphical screen -- where i have the option to hit a key and enter a mode to customize... i guess it's the "Kernel Arguments"?
3. hit any key -- now i've got options:
a) 'e' to edit
b) 'a' to append or adjust the arguments
c) 'c' commandline ("Bash-like functions...")
[i hope i've named those correct]
4a. try 'c': now i have a prompt GRUB> from which i can view a short help menu list which contains no info which is useful to me. (ie. "rootnoverify looks interesting!")
4b. 'a' - again, i don't know what to do with this , how or what to modify
4c. 'e': highlight an option and select it. did this, but again-- i don't konw what or how to edit it
under that 'e' option, i have the following text-- i'm curious about the "ro root" part- which i suspect may be in error (it just seems "weird" to have ro root i think)?
Code:
## copied from the GRUB> prompt:
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.17-1.2157_FC5 ro root=
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rh initrd /initrd-
2.6.17-1.2157_FC5.img
and that's all i've got. i'm grateful for your help if you have anything to lend to me resolving this problem. thanks!