During boot, I get an error message:

/etc/rc.d/rc.M :line 7 : [:missing `]'

Never touched this file before, but here's the first few lines:

#!/bin/sh
#
# rc.M This file is executed by init(8) when the system is being
# initialized for one of the "multi user" run levels (i.e.
# levels 1 through 6). It usually does mounting of file
# systems et al.
#
# Version: @(#)/etc/rc.d/rc.M 2.23 Wed Feb 26 19:20:58 PST 2003
#
# Author: Fred N. van Kempen, <waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org>
# Heavily modified by Patrick Volkerding <volkerdi@slackware.com>

Line 7 is commented. I'm confused.

I'm not entirely sure I can help with this problem, but generally comments and blank lines aren't counted. Thus, when it refers to line 7, it probably is referring to the seventh uncommented line. I would suggest just ignoring all the leading comments, and concentrate on the first 10 or so "active", uncoommented lines of code. That's where I suspect you might find the problem. -- J.W.

I'm a bit confused myself. It should actually read the commented lines as well. What happens if you remove line 7 and reboot, does the same error occur?

I will defer to trickykid's superior knowledge. If in fact all lines are counted, then maybe the presence of that second # sign in what I would call the eighth line (the one starting with Version: @(#)/etc/rc.d/rc.M ...) might be interpreted as an end-comment mark, and that anything following it should not be treated as a comment. In any event, I agree that it would be useful to eliminate those suspect lines, and see what happens. -- J.W.

The error is still there after removing line 7, which was just a #.

I just remembered that the only thing I had changed was /etc/rc.d/rc.local to start samba daemons automatically. I removed what I added to /etc/rc.d/rc.local and no more rc.M error. Strange.

It might have been a generic type error and said it was line 7 in rc.M instead of rc.local since it does call upon the rc.local script in the rc.M script..