Problem installing MEPIS: '/etc/init: 5: linuxrc not found'

pofadda · 03-23-2007, 08:16 PM

This is a bit of a repeat of my 'contribution' to thread http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=538519 where the OP thought his (similar/identical) problem was a cd burning issue but I doubt it.

When I make my choice from the MEPIS 6.5 CD (any of the choices, it doesn't change things)the installation starts but soon ends with a screenful of the line:
'/etc/init: /etc/init: 5: /linuxrc: not found'.
This line is found on the CD in the menu.lst that was originally displayed:
'kernel /boot/vmlinuz init=/etc/init apm=power-off vga=791 quiet'

No /etc/ directory appears on the CD so maybe it is supposed to be unpacked to RAM before this bit of the 'kernel' line is read?

Is that what is wrong?

I think it's MEPIS's way of being trashed by my new Foxconn P9657AA mobo, one with a jMicron IDE chip, as this pair have trashed many other attempts to boot distros.

Has anybody seen this behaviour and licked it?

Please tell!

inspiron_Droid · 03-23-2007, 08:19 PM

Yry reinstalling with a wiped drive!!

pofadda · 03-24-2007, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flanksteak

Yry reinstalling with a wiped drive!!

Are you suggesting that the distro disk is looking on one of the hdd's partitions for this /etc/ directory? Have you had experience of this problem and found this solution worked?

mepnoob2005 · 03-24-2007, 09:51 AM

Does your cd work on another, different, type of computer?
I wonder if your box is trying to fall back on the hard drive in the middle of your install? You could disable the option to boot from hard drive altogether in bios, then install. After the install just remember to re-enable the boot from hard drive option in bios. I had a computer that i had to do this to in order for the computer to boot from the cd. Otherwise it would skip the floppy and the cd fast and go straight to the hd.

bluesman2333 · 03-24-2007, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flanksteak

Yry reinstalling with a wiped drive!!

No, that is not a solution. Mepis is a combination live/install CD. The HDD is not touched until you explicitly tell it to install to the drive.

bluesman2333 · 03-24-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mepnoob2005

Does your cd work on another, different, type of computer?
I wonder if your box is trying to fall back on the hard drive in the middle of your install?

No, the existing HDD is not even mounted IIRC until the end of the boot process.

pofadda · 03-24-2007, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mepnoob2005

Does your cd work on another, different, type of computer?
I wonder if your box is trying to fall back on the hard drive in the middle of your install?
[snip]

Just to support my contention that it is not a hdd or whatever interference issue, this is being written from MEPIS running live on my old box with the same (IDE) CD as failed on my new box! No, this is almost definitely a new kit/SATA/jMicron/ P965/(maybe Foxconn) issue.

Mepnoob, what kit are you using?

Anybody out there using SATA/jMicron kit and having no such problems???

I'd really like some feedback about this!

Cheers 'n tears,

bluesman2333 · 03-24-2007, 08:44 PM

I think your particular problem might be video recognition. Init 5 is the boot into the GUI. If you fail to boot into run level 5, that means the software can't deal with the video processor and related components. My problem seems to be more global.

jay73 · 03-30-2007, 07:38 PM

It is the jmicron controller if you ask me. It fails to install on my C2D-ASUS P5B-ATI system too; no such problems installing to my AMD-Asrock-ATI pc.

I think it's hardly surprising seeing that they are still using 2.6.15 or what is it. It takes at least 2.6.18 to get any decent support for the jmicron controller; sure, they probably applied a number of patches to that older kernel but that's always an uncertain thing in my experience. I do like Mepis but I'm kind of put off by their insistence on incorporating antiques in a brand new release.

bluesman2333 · 03-30-2007, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay73

I do like Mepis but I'm kind of put off by their insistence on incorporating antiques in a brand new release.

I've thought the same thing plenty of times.

archtoad6 · 03-31-2007, 12:35 PM

Silly, idly curious Q: When you are running MEPIS 6.5 live, & can access the initrd live on the RAMdisk, is there a /linuxrc? What about if you run updatedb & then locate linuxrc?

tekkieman · 03-31-2007, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pofadda

When I make my choice from the MEPIS 6.5 CD (any of the choices, it doesn't change things)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pofadda

I think it's MEPIS's way of being trashed by my new Foxconn P9657AA mobo, one with a jMicron IDE chip, as this pair have trashed many other attempts to boot distros.

In light of the above statements, this may seem like a silly question, but in "any of the choices" you tried, was the specific jmicron option one of them?

I also see this:

Quote:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz init=/etc/init apm=power-off vga=791 quiet

in your grub menu. You might try adding 'all-generic-ide' to that line.

archtoad6 · 04-01-2007, 10:33 AM

FWIW, here are the choices off My SimplyMEPIS 6 cd:

Code:

title BOOT NORMAL (best for most system)
title BOOT VESA (try if display problem or if vmware)
title BOOT MINIMUM (try for older system)
title BOOT SMALL (try for very old display)
title MEMTEST (test system memory)

The entire menu.lst is at: http://pastebin.ca/419674. How much does 6.5 differ?

Do you know how to edit a line in menu.lst during boot?

My Q's from my next previous still stand.

tekkieman · 04-01-2007, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by archtoad6

FWIW, here are the choices off My SimplyMEPIS 6 cd:

Code:

title BOOT NORMAL (best for most system)
title BOOT VESA (try if display problem or if vmware)
title BOOT MINIMUM (try for older system)
title BOOT SMALL (try for very old display)
title MEMTEST (test system memory)

The jmicron specific option has been in since the 6.5 beta versions.

Other changes are in the MEPIS configuration tools, new artwork, beryl integration, etc.

As much as I loved version 6, version 6.5 just blows it away!

archtoad6 · 04-01-2007, 11:43 AM

I've listened to the podcast, & I plan to upgrade as soon as the final release is out.