VFS: Unable to mount root fs

This is what I get when I try to boot from my freshly compiled 2.6 kernel (also got the same error with the previous 11 2.6 kernels I compiled, yes, 11). Before I get flammed, I have googled and googled trying find a solution. Here are some things I have tried:

- My root partition is reiserfs. I made sure that I compiled reiserfs support into the kernel, and not as a module.

- Another thread on this forum suggested using the 2.4 stock config file that comes with slack 10.1 to compile the 2.6 kernel. Same error.

- A post on some other site recommended turning on PCbios support. No go.

- I ran lilo after every single compile and kernel install before rebooting to test the new kernel.

- Redownloaded kernel source and re-did the config (several times) from scratch. Still nothing.

- Suspected that I needed initrd, but my working stock 2.4 kernel isn't using it to boot.

- I know I could use the pre-compiled 2.6 kernel on the 2nd slack CD, but that defeats the purpose of this whole undertaking-- learning experience.

Now here's the really weird part: After giving up on this whole thing a week ago, just for the heck of it, I fired up VMWare on my XP partition and created a new virtual machine. I pointed it to my linux partitions to boot from and lo and behold! the 2.6 kernel boots in VMware!

I suspect that this has something to do with my IDE controller, which is an Intel 82801. VMWare uses a generic emulated IDE controller. For the heck of it, I looked in menuconfig for a specific driver for that chipset, but found none. Any insight anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.

The machine in question is a Dell Latitude D610

After a bit of Google searching, it seems your laptop has SATA drives, and NOT IDE.

So then the solution obviously is that you need to compile in SATA suport for the kernel to be able to access the drive.

What?! Well, I'll be damned. Learning experience indeed...

Thank You, I'll give that a try!

Try enable your IDE chipset in config (as built-in, not module) :
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX

Device Drivers -->
ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support -->
Intel PIIXn chipsets support

MS3FGX: Compiled SATA support into the kernel from the SCSI section-- no go. I think I'll turn that off and try the SATA support under Block Devices that is marked a depricated.

Keefaz: Thanks for the advice. That was one of the things I had tried before, but forget to mention in my original post.

I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that the 2.6 kernel dosen't support my storage controller (Intel 82801FBM)... My current running hypothesis is that the 2.4 kernel is using the depricated SATA support. But on second thought, the fact that one of the attempts I made using the stock 2.4 config file to compile the 2.6 kernel resulted in the same error, kind ow blows that hypothesis out of the water. *sigh*

Anyone have anymore ideas/ insight?

First, we need to know at least if your drive is IDE or SATA...

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure. MS3FGX says that it is SATA, but in WINXP the device manager says it is Ultra ATA and has the standard 2 IDE channels and mentions nothing about SATA. I even took the HD out of the laptop and it looks like every other Laptop HD I've ever seen, complete with mini IDE connector. I've never seen a SATA laptop HD, so I really don't have a basis for comparison. My best educated guess is that it is IDE. Also, I was under the impression that SATA drives in Linux show up as dev/sd* as opposed to dev/hd*. In kernel 2.4, mine show up as dev/hda.

Thanks!

I think it is an IDE so.
You need the correct IDE chipset driver in kernel
You said that Intel PIIXn chipsets support driver is not
the correct one.
Maybe you should stuck with generic/default IDE chipset support
until you find the proper one ?

My advice is to use the 2.6.10 config in "testing" cd2 (make oldconfig), add a "y" for reiserfs, then strip down as necessary.

Hello,

Is this the first 2.6 kernel you are running ??

If so did you install the new module package "module-init-tools-3.1" ... try:
`modprobe -V`

Should return "module-init-tools version 3.1"

The 2.6 kernel will not work with the older modules package, the commands are the same and the new one is backwards compatitable.

Michael

Bluesuperman, slackware is compatible with 2.6 kernels
from slackware 9.0, eg it has already the compatible
modules init tools.

So if I understand correctly it works fine in 2.4 but 2.6 you VFS errors? Well from my experience with my Toshiba Tecra M3 it worked with 2.4 but no DMA on the drive. Compiled new 2.6 driver and got VFS errors. Like you I just could not figure it out. Compiled the kernel well over 50 times(no joke). Then realised. If its using SATA kernel then its going to change the HDD device from hda to sda. So then all I did was boot Slax since it uses newer 2.6 kernels and low and behold it mounted the partitions as sda1 sda2, etc under /mnt so I knew I was right. All I did after that was mount proc in /mnt/sda1 (mount -t proc proc /mnt/sda1/proc) then a chroot into /mnt/sda1 edit lilo.conf changing anything that says hda to sda(anything that says hda change it) and then edited my /etc/fstab. Reboot and what do you know I have a working system. Just boot slax and see if it mounts your stuff in /mnt as sda etc.

Oh and don't forget to run 'lilo' after you change it.

Well if the user has a working 2.4 kernel and system and is compiling the same config for a 2.6 kernel. The only realy thing I can see if the modules causing a problem.

Either the modules are not be created in which case they should run:
make modules_install

They are using a initrd image which is not part of the standard slackware setup and in which case a new initrd image will need to be created.

Or the module can not be loaded due to the new modules tool requirement.

.... mmatis ... if you are reading this do you have the udev-050-i486-1.tgz package installed ?

Michael

You cant use a config from a 2.4 kernel to compile a 2.6 kernel.

Hey Namaseit can you please explain step by step on the serial ATA thing.. i am having that EXACT same problem.... i just "tried" doing what you said to so and i messed up somewhere......

i can run lilo says something bout sda permission.....