LinuxQuestions.org - Read Only File System during Installation

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Read Only File System during Installation

Hello,

I'm trying to install OpenSUSE and keep having the same problem over and over (several reinstallation attempts). This has happened with 10.1 and 10.3 with the same computer:

Motherboard: Abit KV7
RAM: 384MB
HD: 40GB Samsung

The end result is I'm getting the error, "Read Only File System" on my root partition. I'm using two partitions: swap (sda1) & root (sda2). I have tried both ext3 and reiserfs file systems.

At first the error would appear after the installation completed and I would try to boot up with out the CD. But, the last two installation attempts have been producing the error right after the first reboot during the installation, so I don't even get to the Configuration section where I would get to choose a root password, etc.

I have tried Rescue Mode and mounted the partition. There are no files in /boot, and the directory /etc/boot doesn't exist (not sure if it should with SUSE...just one of the things I've ran across to try for fixing the problem). When using ext3 the hard drive's partition in mtab looks fine(haven't looked at it since trying reiserfs):

Code:

/dev/sda2 / ext3 rw 0 0

Looking at fstab it has the partition line (for ext3) as this:

Code:

/dev/sda2 / ext2 defaults 0 0

Also, while booting up the system the BIOS says the drive's speed is 33MHz, and Linux first attempts to use 66MHz, but then drops it down to 44MHz. Back when it did completely install I tried putting ide=nodma on the menu screen when choosing to boot normally (not Fail Safe), but it didn't make a difference. Also tried hard coding it into either fstab or mtab but forget which it was, but it didn't make a difference either.

Any help on this would be appreciated. I'm trying to get this working to record sermons at our church, but am getting frustrated with it. I've used OpenSUSE before in the past but never had problems with it till now.

Thanks.

Hello,

Have you attempted to format and repartition this drive? This is one item that I would try, if you have not already done so. From your /etc/fstab file, it appears that the installation is not even writing files to the drive due to this read-only error you are receiving, or else you should have ext3 instead of ext2 in your fstab. I don't know what may be causing the underlying issue, but a hard drive format and re-creating the partitions may resolve this for you.

I haven't repartitioned it, but the installation does format it at the beginning. I'll probably try zeroing out the drive and then retry the installation so which will repartition/format it again.

The installation is writing files during the first part of it up to the reboot, but not afterwords.

Ok, correction.....I used Knoppix to see the drive and there are files in /boot.

File contents:

fstab

Code:

/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_SAMSUNG_SP0411NS01JJ20Y562339-part2 /                    reiserfs  acl,user_xattr        1 1

/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_SAMSUNG_SP0411NS01JJ20Y562339-part1 swap                swap      defaults              0 0

proc                /proc                proc      defaults              0 0

sysfs                /sys                sysfs      noauto                0 0

debugfs              /sys/kernel/debug    debugfs    noauto                0 0

usbfs                /proc/bus/usb        usbfs      noauto                0 0

devpts              /dev/pts            devpts    mode=0620,gid=5      0 0

The mtab file does not exist. Shouldn't that exist irregardless of the file system, or does it get created once the installation has fully completed?

I have zeroed out the hard drive and reinstalled OpenSUSE with ext3. But, it did the same thing as the last 2 times: after the first reboot during the installation it couldn't finish the installaton due to "read only file system" error.

Could it be the hard drive???

Anyone with any ideas?