hi...iam trying to dual boot win2k with red hat 7.3
i have 60gig hard drive that is partitioned like this:

1st partition: 3.5gig for win2k
2nd partition: 56.5 gig for 7.3

I am choosing to use lilo as my boot loader (which operates fine)
my problem is this....

when i select linux at lilo it starts to come up then spits out the following message:

"EXT-fs: ide0(3,3) could not mount because of unsuported optional features
kernel panic: VFS: unable to mount root fs on 03:03"

I have made sure that /boot is on the first sector of the 2nd partion (i know this cause i CAN boot win2k from lilo with no problem)

my lilo.conf is as follows:

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
mesage=/boot/message
lba32
default=linux
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18-3
label=linux
read-only
root=/dev/hda3
other=/dev/hda1
optional
label=win2k

there is lilo.conf

can anyone give me a clue and send me in a direction to fix this??
i am about to give up!!

thank you all!
regards
sean

to make it easy...you can email me at my home:

sean.murray11@verizon.net

Thanks everyone!
~Sean

I'm assuming you formatted your Linux partition when you installed RH 7.3, right?, because what that errors seems to complain about is that it cannot recognize your Linux partition as EXT file system. And/or, that your hardrive wasn't correctly detected by Linux's installation. I'm assuming you have IDE hardrives and not SCSI, right?, I believe this is the case.

Anyway, try changing your lilo.conf to look like this: (I changed a couple of things, check to see if it works this way)

prompt
timeout=50
default=linux
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
mesage=/boot/message
lba32

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18-3
label=linux
read-only
root=/dev/hda3

other=/dev/hda1
optional
label=win2k


hmmm, weird, after a fresh RH install, there is always some kind of line that goes like this:

initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.18-3enterprise.img

this usually goes right between the label=linux
and the read-only, anyway, you don't really need it when you upgrade your kernel by yourself. But after Redhat fresh install there is always a line like that there...weird. Anyway, try it this way and see if it works.
Good luck,

hey there! thank you for your suggestion...but unfortuantely it did not do the trick!!

but you are correct in assuming that i did format these partitions as ext3's and yes...it is ide and not scsi....

im still stumped!!!

hmmmm, wait a second. I should have asked you this way before everything....
If you can't boot Linux, then how in the world do you get access to your lilo.conf???

oh...cause im booting from a cd
when i use cd 1 of the installation...i can type "linux rescue" and it boots up into like a "safe mode" i type "chroot /mnt/sysimage" and it will get me around.

have you tried re-installing RH again?

what is your fstab like? show me your partitions and how you've setup everything.

whenever i've seen this error, it's because the wrong hda is specified as the root partition... instead of /dev/hda3, it might be /dev/hda5, or something else entirely, depending on how your partitioned your disk.

that's what i'm thinking.

im rocking and rolling now....thank you so much for your help!!
hda was pointing to wrong root partition....

now..the only problem im having now is that during the boot up...when its going through diagnostics...when it gets to my eth0 it fails......any thoughts?? we are getting closer!!

i really appreciate all the help!
~sean

well, what's your internet like?, DSL, cable modem?, satellite dish?,
service provider, ethernet card? what modem?, need lots of info,