Waiting for root file system... (kernel ypgrade)

I have 2.4.27-2-386 and I boot with that. I installed 2.6.16-2-686 too using aptitude but I can't boot with that. The boot process stops with message "waiting for root file system"
What is wrong?

my menu.lst

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.16-2-686-smp
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16-2-686-smp root=/dev/hde3 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.16-2-686-smp
savedefault
boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.16-2-686-smp (recovery mode)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16-2-686-smp root=/dev/hde3 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.16-2-686-smp
savedefault
boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.16-2-686
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16-2-686 root=/dev/hde3 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.16-2-686
savedefault
boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.16-2-686 (recovery mode)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16-2-686 root=/dev/hde3 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.16-2-686
savedefault
boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.4.27-2-386
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.27-2-386 root=/dev/hde3 ro
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.4.27-2-386
savedefault
boot

title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.4.27-2-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.27-2-386 root=/dev/hde3 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.4.27-2-386
savedefault
boot


my fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/hde3 / ext3 defaults,errors=remount-ro 0 1
/dev/hde6 none swap sw 0 0
/dev/hde1 /media/win/hde1 ntfs ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/hde5 /media/win/hde5 ntfs ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/hdd /media/cdrom0 iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/hdc /media/cdrom1 iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/fd0 /media/floppy0 auto rw,user,noauto 0 0
/dev/sda /media/usb0 auto rw,user,noauto 0 0
~
~
HELP ME PLEASE

I'm having the exact same problem with a fresh install of Debian Etch. Cannot reboot. Sorry I can't help, but I hope someone can.

I tried fixing using a Knoppix live CD and fsck and parted. Didn't work.

I did find two helpful pages.

I think this is the exact same problem:

http://groups.google.com/group/linux...1e67b79094f70b

(When you do apt-get upgrade, doesn't udev upgrade with everything else?)

More about udev:

http://lists.debian.org/debian-testi.../msg00083.html

Will let you know the steps I took if I can fix it from here, but I'm pretty busy with other things over the next couple days.

Hi people, I had the same problem a few days ago after an upgrade. What I did was to follow the steps detailed here.

Basically what I did was to boot with the Elive live cd, umount my debian '/' partition, create a /mnt/debian directory and mount debian there. After that, I ran

chroot /mnt/debian /bin/bash,

then apt-get update,

and then apt-get install udev.

You might have errors when running the last command; in my case it exited with error code 1, but I simply ignored it. Then rebooted, and voilá, I got my debian up and running again.

Hope this works for you too.

Regards.

odiseo77 -

Thanks. The apt-get install updated from version .085 to .093.

Why isn't version .093 in the install ISO and why isn't it upgraded with the apt-get upgrade distro command?

Isn't this a somewhat serious problem???!!!

Thanks,

SR

Hi, glad to know it worked. I'm not sure why udev isn't automatically updated when executing 'apt-get upgrade'. I've realized that 'apt-get -u upgrade' doesn't upgrade all the packages available for upgrade (I issued the command a few days ago and my KDE is still the previous version, so I'll have to upgrade it manually with apt-get). If you're using Etch too, that might be the source of the problem because Etch is the testing version (not stable yet). Anyway, don't forget to upgrade udev the next time you upgrade your system... just to avoid this problem to happen again.

Regards.

crabsody,
this might help.
i had the same problem when i upgraded from a 2.6.8 kernel to 2.6.15 kernel. my sata harddrive had shown up as a hda1 with 2.6.8 kernel and sda1 with 2.6.15 kernel. so you might try editing the grub entry before booting. in the grub menu highlight the 2.6.16 entry and type 'e' to edit it.
for example:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16-2-686-smp root=/dev/hde3 ro

would become

kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.16-2-686-smp root=/dev/sde3 ro

DO NOT change:

root (hd0,2)

the edit won't be permanent. so you will need to change actual the menu.lst file once you get booted.

if this fixes the problem, you will probably want to update your fstab as well.

hello

I'm having the same problem.. but i can't solve it
i'm not able to put the machine to work anymore
i tryed to install udev with chroot command at knoppix .. unsucessfully, it reports it can't configure it (because of not acessing /dev/null )
i tryed the debian CD in rescue mode.. even so. it doesn't allow to install stuff properly (reports that detects chroot mode and doesn't allow to proceed)
i thought about install a 2.4 kernel, because it won't use the udev stuff (i'm not sure.. but) .. anyway it wont let me to install it..

all i got now is dispair!!!!
the machine is a web server and i made an upgrade in order to solve dependencies because i got to install the latest mono package.... then something bad occured and the system invited me to run
dpkg-reconfigure -a
.. cool to do in just installed small systems,, tedious and dangerous in large systems

as u can figure. i can't let the server being down .. even if it is for development only... few, but important users

what steps should i make?

Thanks in advance

Nuno Leitao

Hello!!

Is solved!! how??

here it goes... obviously there's something kinky about udev + debian.. or not .. is not safe to manage the udev while running the 2.6 kernel, so it wont let mess with it while the kernel is running ... good old policy of debian unfortunately this is a tricky problem... in order to keep stability, we loose compatibility (udev is not upgraded along the other packages) .. now what? debian has this problem because it is a very flexible system... other distros don't have this problems... but also don't have this level of manipulation.. play dirt.. get dirt ... in a beautiful way (debian way)

it works
if u got problems, u must boot with a 2.4.X kernel... or perhaps a previous to 2.6.12 kernel. udev is used by kernels >= 2.6.12.
after booting, with aptitude purge udev, purge 2.6.x kernel
reboot machine
once again with aptitude, install 2.6 kernel .. it will install udev to satisfy dependencies
reboot the machine with the brand new kernel

happy etch for all!!

If un-like me you are not a moron the above is more likely your problem.

However I ran into this error message after updateing my hard drive (it was making chunking noises so i decided to be proative and swap it out)

So i copied Debian from one HD to another, but on a different partion number hda2 instead of hda3 (due to no longer wanting to have Solaris x86 on there)

Anyways the things i needed to change to avoid this error:

fstab (obviously the / and swap lines)
/boot/grub/menu.lst both the root line and the kernel line (what i missed was the kernel line infact)

Anyways I doubt anyone else will forget these things, but i thought in case they do, this is the post i found so maybe this will save them some time if they do the same google as me .

I keep saying sid is safer than etch. A broken udev makes it to etch. 10 days must pass before a sid version can replace it (and that is if no bugs are declared on the replacement.)

Thing might occassionally break in sid (very rare and if concerened install list-bugs) but it gets fixed a lot quicker.

I am having the same problem, I think, with a new etch install.

I have debian installed on /dev/hda6 which I have mounted as /.

So I assume that instead of of "mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/debian" I should do "mount /dev/hda6 /".

I have tried "mount /dev/hda6 /" but I get a "device does not exist" error.

Originally Posted by walterbyrd I am having the same problem, I think, with a new etch install. I have debian installed on /dev/hda6 which I have mounted as /. So I assume that instead of of "mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/debian" I should do "mount /dev/hda6 /". I have tried "mount /dev/hda6 /" but I get a "device does not exist" error.

I guess you're using a live cd? If that's the case you should create a directory to mount debian there (ie.: /mnt/debian) and then chroot it with the commands posted above.

I had this problem on a friends computer that I had just installed Etch on. While I was away, he used the auto-update function, which I would never do, but I don't know if that was related to the issue or not.

I always leave 2 complete kernels on the system. At that point, I had the default etch 2.6.15-486, and the "proper" 2.6.15-k7 kernels. When it locked up, I booted using the ~-486 kernel, did an aptitude remove --purge on the ~-k8 kernel ... went to Sid and got the 2.6.17-k7 kernel, installed it (included udev), problem solved.

I think Etch users should get the 2.6.17 kernel anyway, because my understanding is, that's the one Debian is aiming at for Etch-stable.

I tried to upgrade udev, but it sayed it was already the latest version.
Then I did apt-cache show udev wich learned me udev conflicted with initramfs-tools. That is exactly the package where the initrd is built with! Googled for replacement and there it is.

apt-get install yaird
apt-get --purge remove initramfs-tools

This way the compatible package for udev is installed. The only thing to do is reinstall your kernel, or remake your initrd.

dpkg -i kernel-image-2.6.15.deb <= this must be your deb ofcourse.

This is the way I solved my problem.