mount: Mounting /dev/sda2 on /mnt failed: Invalid argument
 

I installed Slack 11 on an external USB hd using huge26.s. I used the reiserfs and partitioned the drive with a swap part on sda1 and root on sda2. I have been piecing together info from several threads to get this thing to boot.
Mostly this one:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=365161

I have installed the kernel modules and kernel 2.6.13.17.

I created an initrd.gz
and edited it by extracting it and mounting as a loop device. I edited and updated my lilo.conf with initrd = /boot/initrd.gz. reran lilo
which seemed ok expcept for the following warning:

When I boot the device it gets past the point of loading the usb modules and recognizes my usb h/d which contains an older 4gb hd.

The system then fails to complete the boot process with the following error:

I then get dropped to a sort of limited shell which I recognized as
having the same structure as the initrd file when i mounted it.

Just for kicks I tried to mount /dev/sda2 on /mnt manually and got this:

I'm not sure how to continue and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Ok this may be due to a bad drive as I booted from the SLAX cd
and ran fsck.reiserfs which reported bad blocks. I am going to try
some stuff and will post my success/failure. :)

Not sure is you meant this literally. Normally, you would mount to a mount point INSIDE of /mnt.
What was the full mount command and how is /dev/sda2 formatted?

True but a lot of times when doing things in such situations where only a single drive will be mounted temporarily - as in this case - it is perfectly acceptable and understandable to mount it at /mnt. I'm sure this person realizes they have lost all of the subdirectories for the time being.

Isn't the error most likely due to the fact that the filesystem (which contains proc and everything else) has yet to be mounted...since it failed in doing so? In which case you couldn't even expect it to mount anything or do much at all?

Pixellany,

I see your point and the only reason I mounted to /mnt was because
thats what the linuxrc script was doing so I thought I would try the command manually.

Anyhoo I ran powermax on the quantum drive in question and it is indeed failing.

I am gonna start the whole process over with a TESTED 20bg IBM drive. :) Thanx for your help.

Well I completed the above process on the new drive and I get the same error. I guess the failing drive was just a coincidence.

Btw pixellany the drives sda2 root part is reiserfs.

I noticed some odd behaviour when booting from the Slack 11 dvd and I'm not sure if its related to my problem.

When I boot from the dvd and then mount my root part at /dev/sda2
I get:

But if i then do :

The partition then mounts fine. I'm thinking maybe the two problems are related?

Well i got this working but not with reiserfs i reinstalled this time i chose to format ext2 and then i changed my mkinitrd command accordingly. Now it boots fine!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :D

So for whatever reason reiserfs would not work for me. I only used it 'cause the guide I was following used it. I would like to try ext3 next. I chose ext2 cause I read somewhere it doesn't require initrd.gz.

You need to mount your root partition on /, not on /mnt. Check your fstab, or post it here.