I'm trying to install Slackware 12.0 (kernel 2.6.21.5)on an ALR Revolution 6X6 server with four 200 MHz Pentium Pro processors, onboard Adaptec AIC 7880 SCSI controller, and a Mylex DAC960P Raid array. I'm trying to install Slackware to a SCSI HDD on the Adaptec controller, via an install CD in an IDE CD drive. I get an error message saying "Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!" part way through the install process. When this happens, the computer is completely locked up (ie., CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing), and I have to turn the system off and back on again to reboot. The last few lines on the screen before the error message are:

Code: 89 5c 24 04 89 74 24 14 c8 ie ff ff ff 8b 5c 24 20 8b 74 24 24 8b 7c 24 28 83 c4 2c c3 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 <f0> ff 08 79 05 e8 36 01 00 00 c3 90 8d 74 26 00 f0 ff 00 7f 05
EIP:[<c070fe807>] mutex_lock+0x0/0x10 SS:ESP 0068:cffffe10

I am almost a complete Linux nOOb, so please speak slowly when replying. If any more info is needed, ask, and I'll do what I can to provide it.

Try burning the DVD again at a slower speed, it might be badly burned.

I thought about that, so I tried to install on another machine, with no problems. I'm thinking maybe a hardware problem, but I have no idea where to start.

In that case run memtest86+, or it could be a bad HDD, in which case I recommend:
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
(memtest is on there too)

However, most install CDs and liveCDs have memtest available.

I doubt if the memory is bad, as I've had Debian running on the system (as it sits) before, but I'll try the memtest and see what it tells me. As for the HDD, I've ran the test utility built into the hardware (Adaptec's "SCSISelect"), and it gives it a clean bill of health.

I have the same problem, just for fun i decided to install on to an old IBM laptop, as it doesn't posess a dvd drive i downloaded the cd install files and burnt to CD's, the first problem i encountered was that at a certain point the install would hang so i burnt another cd with the same result during install, i re downloaded the first image and checked the MD5 which matched and burnt another cd and this time everything went fine so first problem out of the way.

Booted Linux and disk not syncing mssg, as the hard drive is quite small i just went for the minumum two partitions via fdisk and used the entire drive for install, the drive is very old and frail and will probably peg out fairly soon and i rather think that this could be causing the problem but have not investigated further, if anyone has any other ideas as to what might be the problem, it would be interesting to know.

Also-did you use the huge.s kernel or the huge.smp kernel-I think one is for older hardware

Could you post the exact error message ?

I have the exact error message posted in my original post.


Linus72, I tried both, and got the same results with both.

Sorry, I was addressing Ian J (who says he has the same problem)

Hi H_TeXMeX_H, thanks for replying to post, sorry for delay in answering, couldn't find the thread for a while, the error mssg i am getting is as follows.

No filesystem could mount root, tried: romfs
Kernal panic - not syncing: vfs: unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,2).


Hope that means something to you

Ian J

Something was not installed properly, likely either the bootloader or the kernel, or you're using a kernel that requires an initrd and thus you should make one. Basically the kernel does not have the required drivers to moint the root filesystem.

It may also be due to HDD problems.

Thank you for the advice, i think your last suggestion is the correct one as the drive has been suspect for quite sometime, the laptop is not really worth me fitting a new drive but may just do it anyway just for the hell of it.

Regards and thanks

Ian J

If you wanted to make sure, and the drive supports SMART, I would run a long test using 'smartctl', if errors are found, the drive is suspect.

hey there,

as soon as i understood that slackware 12.2 (i used to run 10.2) doesnt take a boot disk and a root disk to install, i tried to install it by means of bootable cd, as provided.

i intend to load it on a p2@350mhz machine with 64 megabytes of ram.

while at the installing procedure, having selected to install hugesmp.s kernel (did also try it with huge.s just in case), after the script has checked if image is initramfs... it is

comes this message:

Kernel panic - not syncing: Out of memory and no killable processes...

and then is when i press the reset button.

any ideas?!

thx, dolby etc etc...
dave.