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sonichedgehog 06-19-2008 06:07 AM

Lilo.conf edit caused inability to mount hard disk
 
Attempting to get an old box working with Slack. Always hangs on the /udev events part of the boot and after eventual boot things are slow for a while, I think I need to append something to lilo.conf & have attempted acpi=off noapic, also uncommented vga=normal. Looking at http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...lation-645586/ I also tried appending hda=noprobe but did not precede it with hugesmp.s, as I have changed to generic kernel- perhaps that was wrong?

I ran lilo then rebooted, and the result was
Code:

mounting /dev/hda1 on /mnt failed: No such device or address
no /sbin/init found on rootdev [or not mounted]. Trouble ahead

etc

I have taken the hda=noprobe off the append line but cannot get into Slack (either on the generic or the huge kernel, which is still in place) to run lilo. Is there a way to overcome this mounting problem (assuming that's what it is) or boot back in some other way to run lilo?

At the moment I have to get in and tweak, or copy/add files onto usbstick, using systemrescuecd. That's OK but takes a while, maybe I'll install another Slack OS on a spare partition.

Meanwhile, I have a bit of a history of trouble with this computer, but I'm staying with it as it's great hacking practice. The last time I had Slack up & running yesterday was the fastest this machine has ever been- but am I on the right track with the "append" line and if so are there other codes I should try?

Thanks guys



latest reading on this issue:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-quirk-635066/

some recent info on this computer:(
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...events-649392/

my present lilo.conf

Code:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=0 acpi=off noapic"
#this line added by Phil
boot = /dev/hda

# Boot BMP Image.
# Bitmap in BMP format: 640x480x8
  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
# Menu colors (foreground, background, shadow, highlighted
# foreground, highlighted background, highlighted shadow):
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
# Location of the option table: location x, location y, number of
# columns, lines per column (max 15), "spill" (this is how many
# entries must be in the first column before the next begins to
# be used.  We don't specify it here, as there's just one column.
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
# Timer location x, timer location y, foreground color,
# background color, shadow color.
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255

# Standard menu.
# Or, you can comment out the bitmap menu above and
# use a boot message with the standard menu:
#message = /boot/boot_message.txt

# Wait until the timeout to boot (if commented out, boot the
# first entry immediately):
prompt
# Timeout before the first entry boots.
# This is given in tenths of a second, so 600 for every minute:
timeout = 1200
# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
  reset
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga = 773 COMMENTED BY PHIL
# Normal VGA console
vga = normal
#uncommented by phil
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.24.5-smp
initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
root = /dev/hda1
label = Slack-12.1
read-only
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda1
  label = Slack-huge
  read-only
#image = /boot/vmlinuz
#root = /dev/hda3
#label = linux1
#read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

and my original lilo.conf (backup copy)
Code:

# LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
boot = /dev/hda

# Boot BMP Image.
# Bitmap in BMP format: 640x480x8
  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
# Menu colors (foreground, background, shadow, highlighted
# foreground, highlighted background, highlighted shadow):
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
# Location of the option table: location x, location y, number of
# columns, lines per column (max 15), "spill" (this is how many
# entries must be in the first column before the next begins to
# be used.  We don't specify it here, as there's just one column.
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
# Timer location x, timer location y, foreground color,
# background color, shadow color.
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255

# Standard menu.
# Or, you can comment out the bitmap menu above and
# use a boot message with the standard menu:
#message = /boot/boot_message.txt

# Wait until the timeout to boot (if commented out, boot the
# first entry immediately):
prompt
# Timeout before the first entry boots.
# This is given in tenths of a second, so 600 for every minute:
timeout = 1200
# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:
change-rules
  reset
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga = 773
# Normal VGA console
# vga = normal
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x64k
# vga=791
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x32k
# vga=790
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
# vga=773
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x64k
# vga=788
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x32k
# vga=787
# VESA framebuffer console @ 800x600x256
# vga=771
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x64k
# vga=785
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x32k
# vga=784
# VESA framebuffer console @ 640x480x256
# vga=769
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda1
  label = Linux
  read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends


samac 06-19-2008 06:38 AM

Quote:

Code:

mounting /dev/hda1 on /mnt failed: No such device or address
no /sbin/init found on rootdev [or not mounted]. Trouble ahead


Try editing /etc/fstab to mount /dev/hda1 on to /

samac

shadowsnipes 06-19-2008 10:44 AM

Does your huge kernel still work for you?

sonichedgehog 06-19-2008 10:48 AM

Samac, I'll do that later & report back. Shadowsnipes, yes the huge kernel is still up & running to the same extent as the generic, ie I booted back into it after adding generic to lilo, in order to check it. However I get the same error whether I boot with huge or generic, after adding the "noprobe".

shadowsnipes 06-19-2008 11:21 AM

According to Alien Bob's post in the thread you mentioned, using the "noprobe" option makes your hdd /dev/sda instead of /dev/hda.

This is probably why / is not being mounted with the "noprobe" option.

sonichedgehog 06-19-2008 12:10 PM

:( Thanks! But AFAIK I need to get back into slack to run lilo. I tried the obvious ie
Code:

mount -t ext3 /dev/hda1 /mnt
and the error
Code:

device or mount point not found
(something like that, this is from memory) now makes sense. However, I did "ls" on /dev and hda's 1 to 4 were there as expected, so I'm not sure.

If I mount sda1 instead, will that work? Or could I get my hdd back as hda instead of sda?

In the worst case I'll reinstall, don't mind that. I assume that loading the generic kernel was the right thing to do... unless huge.s (for a really old machine, which mine is) is worth a try? Or a different code on the append line? I'm starting to see that the hang on /udev is probably the result of a module that won't work with my mainboard and unlikely to be hardware.

shadowsnipes 06-19-2008 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonichedgehog (Post 3189489)
:( Thanks! But AFAIK I need to get back into slack to run lilo. I tried the obvious ie
Code:

mount -t ext3 /dev/hda1 /mnt
and the error
Code:

device or mount point not found
(something like that, this is from memory) now makes sense. However, I did "ls" on /dev and hda's 1 to 4 were there as expected, so I'm not sure.

If I mount sda1 instead, will that work? Or could I get my hdd back as hda instead of sda?

In the worst case I'll reinstall, don't mind that.

Boot into your liveCD (the Slackware install cd will work). Once in there create a directory under /mnt and then try to mount your installation to that directory. If /dev/hda1 doesn't work of course try /dev/sda1.

Once it is mounted properly cd into it and chroot. Then edit your lilo.conf and run lilo.

You shouldn't need to reinstall Slackware.

sonichedgehog 06-20-2008 02:55 AM

Thank you! Fixed lilo(& much better than systemrescuecd for these smaller tasks). Although hda was present & not sda I followed your advice exactly & it worked immediately.
However still very slow to boot (udev hang again) & running badly, although I think I've pestered fellow linux users more than enough on this subject...?

shadowsnipes 06-20-2008 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonichedgehog (Post 3190089)
Thank you! Fixed lilo(& much better than systemrescuecd for these smaller tasks). Although hda was present & not sda I followed your advice exactly & it worked immediately.
However still very slow to boot (udev hang again) & running badly, although I think I've pestered fellow linux users more than enough on this subject...?

According to Alien's post the hdd should have only been sda if you booted into the install cd with "hda=noprobe". Are you still using the "hda=noprobe" option? If you aren't and want to try it you should follow Alien's post I linked to above. I'm curious to see if the "noprobe" actually helps you or not. Did hdparm show you that DMA was disabled otherwise (see Alien's post).

I'm sure you already have a thread for that topic so perhaps you could quote part of this post there and point me there. That way we don't get too off-topic on this thread.

Don't worry about "pestering" fellow linux users when you have genuine problems that need solving. We're here to help and we want to see you through this.

sonichedgehog 06-20-2008 07:17 PM

Again thank you. Result of
Code:

hdparm -d /dev/hda
is dma=1. However, with nothing to lose, I tried Alien's instructions. Booting from the cd, with
Code:

hugesmp.s hda=noprobe
produced a strange result- none of my partitions were loaded on /dev, either as hda1,2 etc or sda1,sda2... I went through /dev and checked whether my partitions had appeared as anything else, they didn't.

I have also tried appending hda-noprobe in lilo and making the suggested changes in lilo.conf & fstab. Not accepted in lilo as sda doesn't exist.

No harm done.

As you suggest, there is a separate thread, http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...events-649392/
but no replies, I'll continue this post in there.


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