boot problem

Fri Jan 22 19:44:47 UTC 2010

On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 01:56:13PM -1000, blann wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob McClure Jr"
> <bob at bobcatos.com>
> To: "Getting started with Red Hat Linux" <redhat-install-list at redhat.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:13 PM
> Subject: Re: boot problem
> 
> 
> >On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 06:04:37PM -1000, blann wrote:
> >>Dear Mr. McClure,
> >>Many thanks for the kind reply. Before confessing sins since, I put
> >>in the rescue CD, and reply to
> >>find linux was: 'you don't have any linux partitions'
> >>I confess that I tried to run a live disk ubuntu9.10, then did an
> >>install . So partition magic 8.0 tells me that
> >>my HD looks like:
> >>PARTITION  TYPE   SIZE  USED    UNUSED   STATUS     PRI/LOG
> >>local[C]            NTSF    132GB
> >>active primary
> >>Local disc[*]     linux ext3  103mb 0         0
> >>none "
> >>[*]                   extended     20gb   20gb   0
> >>" "
> >>Local disk[E]    ntfs            10gb     6.6    10gb             "
> >>logical
> >>disk[*]            linux ext3     9.5gb    9.5gb  0
> >>" "
> >>swapspace2[*] linux swap   470mb    0.0      470mb       " '
> >>
> >>Any suggestions as to what I might try?
> >
> >Sorry about the delay in replying.  I was hoping someone with more
> >knowledge than I would pipe up, the salutation notwithstanding.
> >
> >Apparently your aborting of the update hosed the partition table.  Had
> >you not installed Ubuntu, I would have said that a guru (and not I)
> >could perhaps reconstruct your partition table.  But with your fresh
> >installation, all bets are off.
> >
>  On the UBUNTU install, the claim was that it would find blank space
> on a partition,
> create a new ntfs partition, and install ubuntu there. I note a new
> ntfs partition of 10gb,
> adjacent to a 9.5 gb native linux plus linux swap partitions- so
> wonder if this is not my fc6 installation?

Hmm.  I guess so.

> Then I need to know what to try to open that partition (9.5gb native
> linux)? One thought was to
> use the linux update option of the install- assuming fc6 supports
> this, install a few ptions only, and hope that
> I will then be given the option of re-installing the lilo boot menu.
> If this fails- or likely even if it does not,

Given that the rescue disk couldn't find any evidence of a Linux
install, I'd be really surprised if you could resurrect a working FC6
installation.

However, you can use your Ubuntu installation to mount what's believed
to be your old FC6 partition.  I'd do it something like this (as
root):

  mkdir /fc6
  mount /dev/hda4 /fc6 # replace "hda4" with whatever the FC6
                       # partition is.

Then you can inspect it and see what's there.  First, look at
/fc6/etc/issue.  That will tell you if it's your FC6 install.  If you
find a complete /fc6/home directory there, I'd copy it off to your
Ubuntu installation or burn it to a CD.  I'd also copy off the
/fc6/etc directory if you want to recover system configuration stuff,
including the password file, network config and such.

> I expect to try a fc12 install on a second, presently unused HD on
> my computer- or does the community
> advise other than FC12?

F12 (they've dropped the "C" after FC6) would be a fine choice.  I
would install F12 in the partition where FC6 was.  Then you can
backfill the /home directory you copied off.

> My main use is fortran compile/execute,
> LATEX, xmgrace- but things I
> presently do in WinXP might migrate to linux depending on available
> software (photo,video editing).

Fedora 12 is more likely to offer the tools you need.

>  The UBUNTU installation used was 9.10- which I believe is new.
>  Will FC12 install on an ntfs partition?

I don't think so, but then there's no need to.  Just change it to a
linux partition.  F12 may offer to make ext4 filesystems, but you can
make them ext3 if Ubuntu doesn't support ext4.

> Any decrease in performance?

NTFS: Just say no.

> Thanks to the community for support-  Marshall
> 
> >>If I try to do a linux fc6 re-install, might this work?
> >
> >To reconstruct your old installation, no.  Further, FC6 is way old and
> >no longer supported.  I'm not up on Ubuntu versions, but if it's less
> >than a couple years old, it's a much safer installation that FC6 would
> >be.
> >
> >If you want to go back to Fedora, get Fedora 12.  If you have
> >high-speed always-on Internet, just get the first CD, and it will do
> >most of the install from Internet resources, saving you the inevitable
> >updates after the install.
> >
> >If you want a free Red-Hat-ish distro that won't end-of-life in 12-18
> >months, download and install CentOS 5.4, a free superset of RHEL 5.4.
> >
> >>Will reinstall find the way to the linux partitions?
> >
> >No.  I think you've overwritten them with Ubuntu.
> >
> >>Thanks for any help on this-  Marshall
> >>p.s.-the ubuntu was installed on the second ntfs partition which it
> >>created from linux space-
> >>
> >>----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob McClure Jr"
> >><bob at bobcatos.com>
> >>To: "Getting started with Red Hat Linux" <redhat-install-list at redhat.com>
> >>Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 4:13 PM
> >>Subject: Re: boot problem
> >>
> >>
> >>>On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:04:38PM -1000, blann wrote:
> >>>>Hi,
> >>>>  Having a problem at boot for my FC5 linux on dual boot with
> >>>>WinXP. I manually
> >>>>powered down XP while it was trying to install an update. After
> >>>>that, when I went
> >>>>to boot Fedora, I got a final message:
> >>>>kernel panic- not syncing- attempted to kill init
> >>>>before that I got messages "unable to access resume device
> >>>>/dev/Vol Group00/logV01)
> >>>>could not find filesystem /dev/root
> >>>>
> >>>>I have a FC rescue CD which brings up a set of choices- but not
> >>>>sure what to try
> >>>>short of re-installation. Suggestions welcome- thanks- Marshall
> >>>>blann at gte.net
> >>>
> >>>At the boot: prompt on the rescue CD, put "linux rescue".
> >>>
> >>>Answer the dialogs about language and keyboard.
> >>>
> >>>When it asks about networking, tell it No.
> >>>
> >>>When it offers to find and mount Linux systems, hit "Continue".  If it
> >>>finds only one, it will mount it.  If more than one, it will give you
> >>>a choice.  If successful, it will so inform you.  Hit OK.  At the
> >>>shell prompt, do these:
> >>>
> >>> chroot /mnt/sysimage
> >>> grub-install /dev/hda # Assumes that is your boot drive
> >>> exit # or ^D out of the chroot shell
> >>> exit # or ^D out of the rescue shell
> >>>
> >>>and it will reboot.  Pop out the CD.
> >>>
> >>>If that doesn't work, you may need to repeat, but after the chroot, cd
> >>>to boot/grub and inspect grub.conf.  Drop a note back here to see
> >>>where we go from there.
> >>>
> >>>Cheers,
> >>>-- >Bob McClure, Jr.
> >
> >Cheers,
> >-- 
> >Bob McClure, Jr.

Cheers,
-- 
Bob McClure, Jr.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
bob at bobcatos.com             http://www.bobcatos.com
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing.  1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)