centos 6 fails to load file system while booting
 

Upon rebooting I receive the error;
dracut:/ can't mount file system. This is Centos 6 on a usb live flash drive. It was working fine until I started a download. My question is how do I direct the filesystem to be loaded with the dracut shell, or does it have to be done within the actual files. This is my first attempt at fixing a kernel instead of just doing a re-install so any help would be appreciated.
Thank You

What did you download ?

dracut normally is called if a new kernel is insalled
or
if you have a nvidia ore AMD 3d card for a new driver

centOS by default is using the nouveau driver for a nvidia card

you could boot into "single user" mode
edit the end of the kernel line in grub.conf / menu.lis
or during the 3 sec. countdown during boot up

hit the space bar to kill the 3 sec. count
Then hit "e" ( for edit )
down arrow to get to the kernel line
add a blank space and a 1 to the end of the kernel line
then enter
then "b" ( for boot )

I had attempted to download metasploit for centos, and it was after the download that the problem occurred. I have tried what you posted and it still comes up with kernel panic - can't mount file system

What exact commands / procedure did you do ?

was it the *.run ( 32 bit or 64 bit) from the web site ?
http://www.metasploit.com/download/

or the SVN source pull
were you fallowing some guide?
if so please past a link

something like this ?
https://community.rapid7.com/docs/DOC-1293/version/6
or the install guide?
https://community.rapid7.com/docs/DOC-2100

I was downloading from this link: http://www.metasploit.com/download/.

I just clicked on 32-bit and it downloaded, but I could not open it to install, and after that I could not open up the computer files from the desktop, nor any web browsers, that is why I did a restart and then encountered the kernel panic. All I could find out to do was edit the boot options with rdshell, but from there I am stuck trying to direct the file system to be loaded.

so you did download the .run
that is an executable file
You do not "open" it

so what exactly did you do with the .run ?

you normally run the ".run" program
it is a type of installer

so the 32 bit ?
i take it that this is a old computer that is using a 32 bit hardware
metasploit-latest-linux-installer.run
you dl it
open a terminal
Fallow the instructions in the "Linux_InstallationGuide.pdf"
the full install instructions are in the pdf -- i am looking at it as i type

cent like RHEL dose not use"sudo" by default
use "su" or " su -"
or set up sudo ( disabled by default)