Hi,

I've just got a new Dell Inspiron 6000.

Background:

I did a fresh install of Slack 10.2, initially using the bareacpi 2.4 kernel, but then later changing to a 2.6 in order to use my wireless. Everything worked *great*, except that the new 2.6 doesn't support ACPI (kind of important for a laptop!).

"Fine" I thought, I'll just compile a fresh 2.6 kernel with ACPI enabled.

So I did. Here's the error first time I booted:

So I Googled.

I have tried the following, without effect, to fix this:

• Checked LILO config, repeatedly.
• Ensured filesystem for root is compiled into kernel (not a module) (ext3)
• Tried other filesystems for root and reinstalled entire system (reiserfs)
• Tried an initrd
• Recompiled in all sorts of different ways, checking and unchecking various options
• Played with LILO some more
• Chose all my options *really* carefully based on many different howtos
• Tried pretty well every other option that can be found by Googling.

Three days later and still no luck. Now I need help from someone who really knows how to solve this.

All suggestions will be tried (if they haven't been already!) I just really need help with this.

If it helps, this is the way I've been working:


make menuconfig (or xconfig) based on the .config that comes with the 2.6 I'm using now (or other ones that other people have submitted)
make
make modules_install (or make modules, make modules install)
make install (or hand copying and ln -s to see if either worked (no)
liloconfig (or hand-edit and /sbin/lilo, and combinations of the two, writing to MBR)
reboot, get kernel panic, putting original (2.6) kernel back from cdrom
Google error some more, return to step 1


*Any* help that can be offered is most appreciated. I've been using Slackware for about 3 years without such problems, and this one's really getting to me!

Thanks in advance,

James.


Edit: Since someone is bound to ask, here's my lilo.conf:

It's boot = /dev/hda because LILO was installed using the boot CD and a 2.4 kernel. I have also had it as boot = /dev/sda when going from a 2.6 kernel. Works both ways fine for the 2.6 that comes with Slack.

I have also had root as /dev/sda1, /dev/hda1 and 0801.

I had this same problem when i installed 10.1 and upgraded the kernel from the Source CD.
my problem was silly, I had my lilo pointing to to wrong partition.

But I believe that this is a misconfigured kernel. It looks like no kernel module for your scsi-adapter gets loaded.

If you are capable use a live cd and mount your root partition. Chroot into the installed linux environment.

identify the required module with lspci, lsmod and

'mkinitrd --preload <MODULENAME> /boot/initrd-2.6.x.img 2.6.x'

this should solve your problem.

did you take the config file of the Slackware kernel, and only added acpi ?
if not, try that...

i think you're missing support for your drive controller.

egag

Hi Dankles,

Thank you, this looks like a real solution, I am trying it right now.

egag, yes, I did take the initial config file and simply added ACPI, which is why this is such a conundrum!

You both seem to have suggested the same thing, I'm recompiling as we speak and will then attempt Dankles's initrd for the module (it's libata, which doesn't seem to compile into the kernel, which might explain this).

I shall post again once this is done

Many thanks,

James.

the first time I had this problem I went through a load of kernels before I realized that I had forgotten to turn on advanced partition selection and pc bios under it. I hate how this is off in the default kernel config and I can't understand why. oh well.

Beautiful! Worked like a charm, many thanks to you both, particularly Dankles.

For anyone who comes across this in future, the missing piece of the puzzle was libata, which I now discover I can in fact compile straight into the kernel, it's just tucked away in the menus - no need even for an initrd!

Cheers,

James.

Great job,
I'm always happy to help

would you know the path of this??? I hate having to go through the folders changing libata by hand after installing.... although i suppose i can just do ctrl f when having the config loaded on a text editor.

I don't know the menuconfig/xconfig/etc. path, but in the .config it's:

CONFIG_SCSI_ATA_PIIX=y

(about line 950)

(Is this actually libata? Who knows but it works great!)

I also disabled most of the wireless bits because it gives compile errors (no idea why!):

Device Drivers > Network > Wireless

(my wireless compiles as a module)

Hope this helps

James.

for the original post for those who get a kernel panic with the same error (mentioning the fs) find out what filesystem your using and whether or not its enabled in your config, has happened to me before... well actually it happened today, dunno why its not enabled by default (filesystems such as ext2 and reiser (however you spell it)

Actually, this is one of the things I did very first (as noted in my original post) but in fact my root filesystem *didn't* need compiling in, the kernel just happily loaded in the module and it worked (no changes from the default config for that).

However, I've read it around on Internet forums enough to know it's a problem for a lot of people, mainly, it would seem, for people who are using reiserfs. So if the config change for your SATA fails then try this next

James.