My box: PC Pentium III, MS Windows and Red Hat 9.0 installed on the same hard drive.

Usually I boot Red Hat Linux using a boot diskette because I decided not install LILO. I never had problem booting the system... until this morning when I started Red Hat and saw the following on the screen:


---------------------------------------------------------
SYSLINUX 2.00

boot
Loading vmlinuz......
---
---
---
Freeing initrd memory:147k freed
VFS:Mounted root (ext2 filesystem)
Red Hat mash version 3.4.42 satrting
Loading jbd.o module
Journalled Block Device driver loaded
Loading ext3.o module
Mounting /proc filesystem
Creating block devices
Creating root device
Mounting root filesystem
Mount:error 6 mounting ext3
pivotroot: pivot_root(/sysroot,/sysroot/initrd) failed:2
umount /initrd/proc failed:2
Freeing unused Kernel memory: 132k freed
Kernel panic: No init found. Try passing init=option to kernel.
-
---------------------------------------------------------------

When I tried to boot passing "linux init=5" and "linux init=3" the system response was the same as before. I mean, it doesn't find init.
I tried booting with another backup boot diskette but again I get "kernel panic: No init found"

Somebody can tell me what else I have to do in order to succeed in booting the Red Hat Linux?

I shall appreciate any clue

redhat cd should have an option of rescue if you change bios to boot from cd b4 hard drive?

then I casually suggest you install grub after reading my tutorial its faster and can be trouble shooted unlike poor lilo

Yes, boot first CD in rescue mode and check that your root partition is mountable and appears to work. Also make sure you it contains an empty /initrd directory.

I have to tell you that I have windows ME, windows 2000 and Red Hat Linux 9.0 in my only hard disk. When I start on the PC I have a menu to choose only Windows ME or Windows 2000. If I want to work with Red Hat Linux I have to boot the system using a boot diskette. That is the configuration to boot the S.O.s.

In order to follow the recommendation given by aus9 and misc I made the following steps:

a) Changed the BIOS setup to boot from Red Hat CD
b) Booted with the Red Had CD inserted. It showed a screen with options: [F1-Main] [F2-Options] [F3-General] [F4-Kernel] [F5-Rescue]
c) I choosed Rescue Mode
d) Followed the instructions choosing language = Spanish, type of type-writer = es and network configuration = no.
e) In the rescue screen appeared the message: "The rescue mode will try to find your installation Red Hat Linux and will mount it under /mnt/sysimage".
After I choosed "Continue" appeared another screen with the message: "The system has been mounted under /mnt/sysimage. Enter <return> to obtain a shell. If you want that your system be the root, execute the command: chroot /mnt/sysimage. The system will restart when you out from the shell."
f) Pressed <return>. Appeared the shell sh-2.05b#. Then entered the command chroot /mnt/sysimage.
g) I typed "exit" in the prompt sh-2.05b# to get out from the shell. I had to type two times exit.
h) The system restarted. But restarted with Red Hat CD inserted and again it showed a screen with the options: [F1-Main] [F2-Options] [F3-General] [F4-Kernel] [F5-Rescue].

Evidently I realized that I was entered into a loop.

I decided to repeat the steps but this time in the last step when the system restarted I managed to change the BIOS setup to normal and restarted with the Red Hat's boot diskette but the booting failed again showing the original message: "...........Kernel panic No init found. Try passing int=option to kernel."

At this point I don't know what to do.
Perhaps there is a step I forget to do.


P.D.
I have LTOOLS in Windows 2000. With This tool I can access Linux from Windows 2000 locally.
The following are the ouptputs when I use the commands from LTOOLs:

-------------------------------------------
F:\LTOOL\bin>ldir -s/dev/hda9
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 .
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 ..
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 16384 Mon Oct 14 00:17:18 2002 lost+found
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Oct 14 00:17:26 2002 boot
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 118784 Thu Jan 13 21:55:35 2005 dev
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Oct 14 00:17:27 2002 proc
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Jul 14 22:58:47 2003 var
drwxrwxrwx 0 0 4096 Wed Feb 23 15:55:39 2005 tmp
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 8192 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 etc
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Jul 14 22:47:37 2003 usr
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jun 24 21:12:16 2004 bin
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Sat Jan 25 00:52:28 2003 home
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Sat Jan 25 00:52:28 2003 initrd
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Sep 11 16:31:26 2003 lib
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Sep 11 17:58:11 2003 mnt
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Oct 02 18:52:36 2003 opt
drwxr-x--- 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:02 2005 root
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 8192 Thu Sep 11 16:31:26 2003 sbin
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Tue Jan 28 05:22:54 2003 misc
-rw-r--r-- 0 0 0 Thu Jan 13 21:55:19 2005 poweroff
Disk space: 1421.219 MB of 5130.098 MB free

F:\LTOOL\bin>ldir -s/dev/hda9 /initrd/
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Sat Jan 25 00:52:28 2003 .
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 ..
Disk space: 1421.219 MB of 5130.098 MB free

F:\LTOOL\bin>ldir -s/dev/hda9 /proc/
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Oct 14 00:17:27 2002 .
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 ..
Disk space: 1421.219 MB of 5130.098 MB free

F:\LTOOL\bin>ldir -s/dev/hda9 /boot/
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Oct 14 00:17:26 2002 .
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 ..
Disk space: 1421.219 MB of 5130.098 MB free

F:\LTOOL\bin>ldir -s/dev/hda9 /home/
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Sat Jan 25 00:52:28 2003 .
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 ..
drwx------ 500 500 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:18 2005 manuel
drwx------ 501 501 4096 Fri Jan 23 22:53:04 2004 alex
Disk space: 1421.219 MB of 5130.098 MB free

F:\LTOOL\bin>ldir -s/dev/hda9 /mnt/
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Sep 11 17:58:11 2003 .
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Jan 13 21:55:48 2005 ..
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Oct 14 05:47:22 2002 cdrom
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Oct 14 05:47:22 2002 floppy
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Mon Nov 04 20:20:20 2002 vfat
drwxr-xr-x 0 0 4096 Thu Sep 11 17:58:11 2003 ntfs
Disk space: 1421.219 MB of 5130.098 MB free

F:\LTOOL\bin>
-------------------------------------------------

Maybe the following is a foollish question but anyway, here it is:
If possible to send me a copy from your system's init file?. I will try to put the file in the path you tell me using the LTOOLS

Of course. You did not do anything in the rescue environment to fix your system.

Boot into rescue mode again, then try creating a new bootdisk. Look into /boot directory to find out what your Linux kernel version is. Run mkbootdisk KERNELVERSIONHERE, e.g. mkbootdisk 2.4.20-31.9

Also make a copy of your /etc/fstab file and post its contents here.

And as a future project, you should really look into chainloading the Red Hat Linux GRUB bootloader from your Windows bootloader (or to load Windows from GRUB).

sorry to hijack misc but your sig looks like a RH guru, heh heh

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...24#post1491124
user has an error
error: unpacking of archive failed on file/usr/bin/mbchk;421de2ac: cpio: mkdir failed - read only file system

does this excite you? if so can you have a bo peep when its convenient for U?

Thankyou very much misc.

Yes I have to admit I was a fool in do nothing in from the prompt.......but really it was true; I didn't know what to do.

I followed your instructions and made a new boot disk with the command "mkbootdisk --device /dev/fd0 2.4.20-8"

Now I can boot the Red Hat Linux and work with it.

The only uncommon thing I observe during the booting is the following line:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avtiving the swap partition:
swapon: /dev/hda10 :No exist this dispositive or direcction
[FAILED]
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the content of the /etc/fstab file:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LABEL=/ / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
none /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
none /proc proc defaults 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
/dev/hda10 swap swap defaults 0 0
/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,owner,kudzu,ro 0 0
/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto,owner,kudzu 0 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't worry, I'll install the GRUB as soon as possible

Please log into a console (graphical or text mode) as superuser and run parted /dev/hda print - at some point in time you repartitioned your system or renumbered the partitions. /dev/hda10 no longer is the swap partition. In the "parted" output see which is the swap partition, then fix /etc/fstab accordingly and run swapon /dev/hdaX (replace X with the appropriate partition number).

misc

In my last reply I told I was seeing one strange line during booting process of Red Hat Linux using the new boot disk created with RESCUE mode. But paying more atention to the booting process I am seeing two strange lines compared to the booting process with the original boot disk.

a) One of the lines at the start of the booting process is:
--------------------------------------------
boot system from dev/hdb9
-------------------------------------------
With the original boot disk this line was: "boot system from dev/hda9"

b) The other line as was told is:
---------------------------------------------
Activing swap partition:
swapon: /dev/hda10: Not exist such device or direction.
[FAILED]
-----------------------------------------------------
With the original boot disk the activation of swap partition was OK


c) Furthermore, after booting and logged to Red Hat this morning I wanted to mount a windows partition so I entered the same command I used to it:
------------------------------
# mount -t vfat /dev/hda6 /mnt/vfat
------------------------------------

But I get the following message from the system:
"mount: /dev/hda6 is not a valid block device"

Taking in consideration a, b, c plus your note ("at some point in time you repartitioned your system or renumbered the partitions. /dev/hda10 no longer is the swap partition") in your last reply, I squeezed my mind and recalled that 5 weeks before I put my hard disk temporally in another PC as a slave drive so I had to pull out the little jumper, but when I returned the disk drive to my PC I forget to reinstall the little jumper. Since then my Hard disk is working as the primary slave (/dev/hdb9) and no as a genuine primary disk (/dev/hda9). Since then I have no used Red Hat linux and working with Windows ME and Windows 2000 I have not notice changes in the windows operation . Evidently Red hat Linux is more aware to any hardware change.

I have reinstalled the little jumper in the hard disk to reset it as the primary disk and now I can boot the Red Hat Linux with the original boot disk. No strange messages during booting and can mount windows partition normally. So I am happy.

But I must to tell that without your initial help and from aus9 plus your additional help it would be impossible for me to resolve my problem. Especialy your last reply gave me the opportunity to uncover the mistery. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.


I hope that my case be a help to people with similar problem.