boot problem

[Bob McClure Jr]

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.

> 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.             Bobcat Open Systems, Inc.
bob at bobcatos.com             http://www.bobcatos.com
The LORD is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The LORD
is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 (NIV)