[SOLVED] Exec format error upon boot on fresh install on usb stick

alekow · 02-03-2021, 09:41 AM

Well this error basically means the root filesystem ("/") couldn't be mounted. Did you change your grub config file? I use elilo, so can't help you with that, but you need rootwait= kernel parameter and root partition specified as well, possibly using UUID.

colorpurple21859 · 02-03-2021, 11:03 AM

add the rootdelay per post #8

quickbreakfast · 02-03-2021, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredmyra

And Oh! it went so swift trough booting beyond the format exec error.

I got a new error>

"Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" - little more detail attached, but still, this feels like GREAT progress to me."

Check your fstab for typos. Or commas (") at the beginning or end of a UUID if you copied and pasted the UUID(s) into your fstab.

Quote:

Should I close this as solved and eventually take up the new error in another thread?

I wouldn't mark this thread as solved until the usb boots. That way fellow members can see what has already been tried when you continue attempting to correct the problem.

Add to that members, or lurkers, with the same problem can use it for reference when trying to solve the same problem.[/QUOTE]

fredmyra · 02-05-2021, 07:41 AM

I had missed the fact there was already a second page on the thread, so now I will try to remove the "solved"mark, as per POST #18.

@ alekow: root in UUID is specifie in grub.cg. I have been editing the "rootewait=15" under booting as in Post #8.

I will recheck the grub.cfg and also fstab another time again, carefully, looking for typos.

I saerched LQ for > mnt fstab < and found some interesrting Slackware threads which I will try to benefit from under the week/end.

I keep saying thanks!

fredmyra · 02-08-2021, 05:20 PM

After spending some time trying to get past the error in Post #15, I installed Artix base in a new partition on the usb stick, but when I ran grub-mkconfig in hope to be able to boot Slakware, Artix gave me some no overlay error. Too advanced for me.

I was finally able to make a grub.cfg in Artix, when I re-installed grub with a syntax copied from https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...boot_USB_drive :

Code:

grub-install --target=i386-pc --recheck --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdb

instead of Artix syntax from "https://wiki.artixlinux.org/Main/Installation":

Code:

 grub-install --recheck /dev/sda (for BIOS systems)

Could still not boot Slackware after that - got kernel panic - if I recall it right, don’t have any note on this. But I was finally able to notice that grub.cfg in Artix’s boot partition had

Code:

set root=(hd1,msdos3)

in the Slackware entries, while when running

Code:

ls

from grub prompt showed the usb stick, with 3 partitions and Slackware on the third partition as (hd0,msdos3)
Enclosed images: grub_cfg.jpg, grub_prompt.jpg.

I edited the 'set root' line in the grub entry for Slackware with kernel vmlinuz-generic-4.4.14 to

Code:

set root =(hd0,msdos3)

and it booted without the kernel panic but stopped once again at the > "Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" < error as in post 15.

The same happened when I similarly edited the 'set root' line for the huge kernel's entry and tried to boot from it.

I then tried the same thing with the huge kernel but without the initrd lin, and it gave me a kernel panic.

Next I tried a few variations of the manual mounting suggestion in post #9 of :
https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...ab-4175606919/
and got an error that resulted in 2 screens that kept showing alternatively (enclosed as: REPEATIN_1.JPG AND REPEATING_2.JPG)

After some more time trying to get past this without success I decided to try installing on an external HD, and then was even able to create a booting usb stick, something I had not succeeded when installing to an usb stick.

Installed Grub to the external HD MBR, ran grub-mkconfig, goot a grub.cfg and then kernel panic when trying to boot from the external HD - even when I edited the 'set root- line from pointing to (hd1,msdos2) - I had Slackware in the second partition on the external HD - to
set root=(hd0,msdos2)

Booted from Manjaro in my internal HD, created a swap in the external HD, edited the fstab file in the Slackware partition to use UUID, created a line for the newly created swap partition, rebooted from the Slackware CD, chrooted, with the previous bindmountings, ran /usr/share/mkinitrd/mkinitrd_command_generator.sh, and ran

mkinitrd almost exactly as suggested by mkinitrd_command_generator.sh - only change was specifiyng root as UUID.... and got my initrd..

This time - still editing the 'set root' line at grub prompt - it booted all the way to > "Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" < as in post #15.

After trying some different parameter combinations with the manual mounting, I finally booted with the vmlinuz-generic-4.4.14 using

Code:

mount -t ext4 UUID=myuuid  -mnt

and Slackware booted.

I noticed then that the boot-usb was still plugged in. Plugged it out and repeated exactly same procedure, and when trying the above mount line, upon having got > "Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" > got another similar error, something like ”......not in /etc/fstab” (no notes on this either).

Pluggeg back the boot usb, rebooted from the external HD and when meeting the "Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" error, tried first

Code:

mount -o -t ext4 UUID=myuuid  -mnt

- which I already knew would give me instructions about specific file types, which I did not really understand - and then tried

Code:

mount -t ext4 UUID=myuuid  -mnt

again, and Slackware booted.

Tried to replicate the whole thing, but could not boot and confirm my suspicion that isseing the mount command with -o before issuing it without the '-o' parameter could guarantee the boot.

Read through the mount manual which was difficult to understand, and went back to trial and error and now I have been able to replicate successful booting with

Code:

mount -o nosuid -t ext4 UUID=myuuid  /mnt

Only problem, so far, now is that this is not a very elegant solution. I plan to report further developments.

quickbreakfast · 02-08-2021, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredmyra

but stopped once again at the > "Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" < error as in post 15.

So what is in the relevant fstab?

Quote:

it booted all the way to > "Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" < as in post #15.

Your computer will continue to complain while ever whatever it's expecting to be in the fstab is not present. And no one can accurately can tell you what's missing without looking at the relevant fstab.

Therefore please post the relevant fstab.

Quote:

"Mount: can't find /mnt in fstab" > got another similar error, something like ”......not in /etc/fstab” (no notes on this either).

Why are you telling us that you got another error with the words "something like......." ? Some of the other posters are good/experienced, but few of them could guess the correct without ALL the details.

colorpurple21859 · 02-08-2021, 07:37 PM

mount the slackware partition your attempting to boot at /mnt and post the output of the following:

Code:

lsblk -f
cat /mnt/etc/fstab

fredmyra · 02-09-2021, 10:50 AM

Here is it (fstab):

Code:

UUID=473eae20-7262-41b1-ba24-60a2ce8478fb        /                ext4        defaults         1   1
UUID=fa48528b-9a30-4b4d-b3af-f8a878551923        none            swap    sw              0       0
#/dev/cdrom      /mnt/cdrom       auto        noauto,owner,ro,comment=x-gvfs-show 0   0
/dev/fd0         /mnt/floppy      auto        noauto,owner     0   0
devpts           /dev/pts         devpts      gid=5,mode=620   0   0
proc             /proc            proc        defaults         0   0
tmpfs            /dev/shm         tmpfs       defaults         0   0

Did not post it before for fear of jamming your server with unsolicited info. Missed the point.

As for the "something like" it was just a way of acknowledging I did not retrieve that info, but I remembered a hint.

fredmyra · 02-09-2021, 10:59 AM

sdb is the external USB-HD

sdb2 is the Slackware partition

Code:

 lsblk -f
NAME    FSTYPE FSVER LABEL     UUID                                 FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINT
sda                                                                                
├─sda1  ext4   1.0   mint19    e04929e5-2e6b-4266-b6b5-d516775a1a28                
├─sda2  ext4   1.0   Fedora31  7b98bb5d-ab75-48c5-a3ad-f1f70320f98a                
├─sda3  ext4   1.0   Sabayon   7d74daaa-3637-48e9-9a48-f8d6c316672d                
├─sda4                                                                             
├─sda5  ext4   1.0   Debian7   8722018f-11f5-46df-aec8-ffc1c9fd1ff7                
├─sda6  ext4   1.0   SlackLive 4fa32d09-a3e0-4aed-936d-f7b4a828ed79                
├─sda7  ext4   1.0   Storage   c0e87dee-480e-4a88-8db6-a05ae56f851f                
├─sda8  ext2   1.0   boot      cc019a59-3ed6-4dc6-a26e-91fd5e8c5d8f                
├─sda9  swap   1               7af39382-f879-423e-89db-a7fd114c38f8                
├─sda10 ext4   1.0   Artix2    9cda1707-2271-4f0a-8b0f-51662e806a0e                
├─sda11 ext4   1.0   Manjaro   dfd78160-e765-447f-9ca3-a708e9a06702   13,7G    50% /
├─sda12 ext4   1.0   Arcolinux 6500b5e2-2672-4f12-935f-70ed9e8f2193                
├─sda13 ext4   1.0   U_studio  fa3eebb0-270b-4484-b819-93ed833292db                
└─sda14 ext4   1.0   Crunch++  7a8df8b6-b5cd-417f-9d28-b0f2647b1564                
sdb                                                                                
├─sdb1  vfat   FAT32 LAGRING   A585-2881                                           
├─sdb2  ext4   1.0   OS1       473eae20-7262-41b1-ba24-60a2ce8478fb   33,3G    19% /mnt
└─sdb3  swap   1               fa48528b-9a30-4b4d-b3af-f8a878551923                
sr0

fredmyra · 02-09-2021, 11:32 AM

I have now succeeded in installing Slackware 14.2 (stable) from DVD to the internal HD in another machine, a HP Probook 4510s, Duo Core 2, T6570,2Gb RAM.

In this case I was again able to make a booting usb stick but this time I was able to boot from it.- this paragraph has been edited, see EDIT below.

I then ran

Code:

 grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

from arch-linux in the internal HD. Grub was installed to that HD's MBR from that Arch Linux.

Slackware did not boot then, without the boot-usb.It did still boot from the boot-usb.

I have not made an initrd for this Slackware yet. Will be trying to do it ASAP.

Also for the Probook:

Code:

bash-4.3# lsblk -f 
NAME   FSTYPE LABEL          UUID                                 MOUNTPOINT
sda                                                               
|-sda1 swap                  05ced984-f17a-4b5c-9521-88d5d294c333 [SWAP]
|-sda2 ext4   Sabayon        d3795688-acf0-40d4-91ca-309756cd073f /run/media/roo
|-sda3 ext4   Slackware      650ae6be-486f-467d-8cd9-304d741d9fd9 /run/media/roo
|-sda4                                                            
|-sda5 ext4   Arch-Linux     880a1b62-58da-4f40-936e-5a95c6a79ba1 
|-sda6 ext4   MintTricia     af19f28b-0a93-4ea6-9ae4-b7f33a27467b 
|-sda7 ext4   DataFrugal     f7e26da0-48aa-43b7-a273-a90d7d42159c /run/media/roo
|-sda8 ext4   Artix_12       cee5ad90-3f3e-4abd-86dd-8d1044780a2a 
`-sda9 ext4   Slackware_14.2 42b9e1ef-abf8-4049-932d-626d276ac96e /
sdb                                                               
`-sdb1 vfat   USBSLACK       F7F2-962A                            /run/media/roo
sr0

sda3 is >Slackware Live, sda9 is the install in question here.

EDIT:
I had mistakenly wrote:

Quote:

In this case I was again able to make a booting usb stick but this time I was able to boot from it.-the fstab in the Slackware partition of the internal HD is almost identical to the one in Post #24 [/U] (which is for an external USB-HD plugged to the only machine mentioned in all previous posts in this thread, my Fujitsu Esprimo E7935, with a Corel2 Duo E8500 , 8 Gb ram,

But when I booted, Slackware from the HD in the Probook - via its boot/usb - its fstab said >

Code:

  nano 2.6.0                     File: /etc/fstab                               

/dev/sda1        swap             swap        defaults         0   0
/dev/sda9        /                ext4        defaults         1   1
#/dev/cdrom      /mnt/cdrom       auto        noauto,owner,ro,comment=x-gvfs-sh$
/dev/fd0         /mnt/floppy      auto        noauto,owner     0   0
devpts           /dev/pts         devpts      gid=5,mode=620   0   0
proc             /proc            proc        defaults         0   0
tmpfs            /dev/shm         tmpfs       defaults         0   0

The reason for this error was that i forgot that my editing of fstab, immediately after completing the setup failed with a message that nano could not find a certain library (sorry, wrote no note on that)

quickbreakfast · 02-09-2021, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredmyra

Here is it (fstab):

Code:

UUID=473eae20-7262-41b1-ba24-60a2ce8478fb        /                ext4        defaults         1   1
UUID=fa48528b-9a30-4b4d-b3af-f8a878551923        none            swap    sw              0       0
#/dev/cdrom      /mnt/cdrom       auto        noauto,owner,ro,comment=x-gvfs-show 0   0
/dev/fd0         /mnt/floppy      auto        noauto,owner     0   0
devpts           /dev/pts         devpts      gid=5,mode=620   0   0
proc             /proc            proc        defaults         0   0
tmpfs            /dev/shm         tmpfs       defaults         0   0

The lack of a / (mount point?) in the second line of UUID's, caught my eye.

Should that read the word "none" actually be swap or have a "/" before the word none?

fredmyra · 02-09-2021, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Should that read the word "none" actually be swap or have a "/" before the word none?

When I edited the fstab I looked into the fstab of Sabayon in another partition and used it as model having no better idea of where to get a functioning syntax.

Maybe someone will clarify this, I have no idea of what it must be or where and how to get info and figure it out.

colorpurple21859 · 02-09-2021, 06:21 PM

Now I'm confused. Are you using the slackusb to boot the internal drive or an external drive?
The fstab you posted in post25 was slackware on /dev/sda9, no sign of the other external drive in sight.

The slackusb does it have an initrd on it or just a kernel?

fredmyra · 02-10-2021, 01:45 PM

In the Probook, first mentioned in post#25 Slackware is installed in the internal HD,(sda9) and boots so far only from USBSLACK. Grub was installed by ArchLinux (sda5) and grub-mkconfig run therefrom.

I could not see any initrd in USBSLACK, but I post its content to be sure.

The external HD was installed from the Fujitsu, and I have not tried to boot it from the Probook yet. I can so far only boot the external HD (from Fujitsu) in the exotic way described in Post #19 and my main purpose now is to find a normal way to boot it, hopefully without having to depend on a boot-usb.

colorpurple21859 · 02-10-2021, 02:21 PM

post the command your using to boot the external drive with the boot-usb