Kernel panic -Not syncing VFS. Reboots on install on HD with USB adapter

[truth4life]

Hi, i run Minime 2009 on an old PC, and but just installed Minime 2010 on my main machine (2.8hgz cpu; 3gb ram), using a 8gb pata HD connected via a USB adapter. I have used this method on other Linux distros, including Kbuntu recently which installed and booted up fine using the same HD and adapter, but which OS i replaced with Minime (i like it better). There were no problems with the install using the entire disk, but when it begins to boot from the Grub screen then the PC reboots a couple seconds after it tries, every time. Choosing the Safe Mode option ends with this error (from my notes): No file system..Could not mount root. Kernel panic. Not syncing VFS. Unable to mount root FS. Unknown block.

No other drives were plugged in at the time, except the optical. Any clues? Thanks.

[Old-Polack]

Hi, i run Minime 2009 on an old PC, and but just installed Minime 2010 on my main machine (2.8hgz cpu; 3gb ram), using a 8gb pata HD connected via a USB adapter. I have used this method on other Linux distros, including Kbuntu recently which installed and booted up fine using the same HD and adapter, but which OS i replaced with Minime (i like it better). There were no problems with the install using the entire disk, but when it begins to boot from the Grub screen then the PC reboots a couple seconds after it tries, every time. Choosing the Safe Mode option ends with this error (from my notes): No file system..Could not mount root. Kernel panic. Not syncing VFS. Unable to mount root FS. Unknown block.

No other drives were plugged in at the time, except the optical. Any clues? Thanks.

Wouldn't matter if the drives were plugged in, and it would have been better if they had been. Are you currently trying to boot directly from the USB drive? What does your /boot/grub/menu.lst look like? What is the result of

fdisk -l

from a root terminal?

[truth4life]

Thanks for replying. Yes, i was  trying to boot directly from the USB drive, as i had done when Kbunto was the OS. But as  i cannot even load the OS then presently i cannot run any commands, as far as i know. Later i could  hook up the HD on my older PC running minime2009  and find the /boot/grub/menu.lst though.

[Old-Polack]

Thanks for replying. Yes, i was  trying to boot directly from the USB drive, as i had done when Kbunto was the OS. But as  i cannot even load the OS then presently i cannot run any commands, as far as i know. Later i could  hook up the HD on my older PC running minime2009  and find the /boot/grub/menu.lst though.

Run the commands from the liveCD.

[truth4life]

I am in under the Live Cd, thanks.

First, I navigated to the  /boot/grub/menu.lst and which is a 538 file, but the only app i found to open it with in the Live Cd is Kwrite, which shows nothing. Okular crashes on the atempt.

I then ran fdisk -l in the super user term and it shows all this:

[root@localhost root]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sde: 18 MB, 18612224 bytes
1 heads, 36 sectors/track, 1009 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 36 * 512 = 18432 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6f20736b

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sde1   *    21614887    53323488   570754815+  72  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(357, 116, 40) logical=(21614886, 0, 13)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 45) logical=(53323487, 0, 7)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde2         4685821    58464383   968014120   65  Novell Netware 386
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(288, 115, 43) logical=(4685820, 0, 3)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(367, 114, 50) logical=(58464382, 0, 10)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde3        51941152   105719713   968014096   79  Unknown
Partition 3 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(366, 32, 33) logical=(51941151, 0, 30)
Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 43) logical=(105719712, 0, 25)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4               1   101034070  1818613248    d  Unknown
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(372, 97, 50) logical=(0, 0, 1)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(0, 10, 0) logical=(101034069, 0, 12)
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sde4: 18 MB, 18612224 bytes
1 heads, 36 sectors/track, 1009 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 36 * 512 = 18432 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6f20736b

     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sde4p1   *    21614887    53323488   570754815+  72  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(357, 116, 40) logical=(21614886, 0, 13)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 45) logical=(53323487, 0, 7)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4p2         4685821    58464383   968014120   65  Novell Netware 386
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(288, 115, 43) logical=(4685820, 0, 3)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(367, 114, 50) logical=(58464382, 0, 10)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4p3        51941152   105719713   968014096   79  Unknown
Partition 3 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(366, 32, 33) logical=(51941151, 0, 30)
Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 43) logical=(105719712, 0, 25)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4p4               1   101034070  1818613248    d  Unknown
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(372, 97, 50) logical=(0, 0, 1)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(0, 10, 0) logical=(101034069, 0, 12)
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdf: 8455 MB, 8455200768 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1027 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00074175

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1   *           1         529     4249161   83  Linux
/dev/sdf2             530        1027     4000185    5  Extended
/dev/sdf5             530         594      522081   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdf6             595        1027     3478041   83  Linux
[root@localhost root]#

After this i attached  the HD to my older PC running Mimime2009, but when i opened it up it Erors, "Invalid filesystem type.

 Thanks again.

[Old-Polack]

I am in under the Live Cd, thanks.

First, I navigated to the  /boot/grub/menu.lst and which is a 538 file, but the only app i found to open it with in the Live Cd is Kwrite, which shows nothing. Okular crashes on the atempt.

I then ran fdisk -l in the super user term and it shows all this:

[root@localhost root]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sde: 18 MB, 18612224 bytes
1 heads, 36 sectors/track, 1009 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 36 * 512 = 18432 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6f20736b

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sde1   *    21614887    53323488   570754815+  72  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(357, 116, 40) logical=(21614886, 0, 13)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 45) logical=(53323487, 0, 7)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde2         4685821    58464383   968014120   65  Novell Netware 386
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(288, 115, 43) logical=(4685820, 0, 3)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(367, 114, 50) logical=(58464382, 0, 10)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde3        51941152   105719713   968014096   79  Unknown
Partition 3 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(366, 32, 33) logical=(51941151, 0, 30)
Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 43) logical=(105719712, 0, 25)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4               1   101034070  1818613248    d  Unknown
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(372, 97, 50) logical=(0, 0, 1)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(0, 10, 0) logical=(101034069, 0, 12)
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sde4: 18 MB, 18612224 bytes
1 heads, 36 sectors/track, 1009 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 36 * 512 = 18432 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6f20736b

     Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sde4p1   *    21614887    53323488   570754815+  72  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(357, 116, 40) logical=(21614886, 0, 13)
Partition 1 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 45) logical=(53323487, 0, 7)
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4p2         4685821    58464383   968014120   65  Novell Netware 386
Partition 2 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(288, 115, 43) logical=(4685820, 0, 3)
Partition 2 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(367, 114, 50) logical=(58464382, 0, 10)
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4p3        51941152   105719713   968014096   79  Unknown
Partition 3 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(366, 32, 33) logical=(51941151, 0, 30)
Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(357, 32, 43) logical=(105719712, 0, 25)
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sde4p4               1   101034070  1818613248    d  Unknown
Partition 4 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(372, 97, 50) logical=(0, 0, 1)
Partition 4 has different physical/logical endings:
     phys=(0, 10, 0) logical=(101034069, 0, 12)
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdf: 8455 MB, 8455200768 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1027 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00074175

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1   *           1         529     4249161   83  Linux
/dev/sdf2             530        1027     4000185    5  Extended
/dev/sdf5             530         594      522081   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdf6             595        1027     3478041   83  Linux
[root@localhost root]#

 Thanks again.

Congratulations. You have the most messed up partition output I've ever seen. That said You need to open kwrite as root to read the contents of your /boot/grub/menu.lst Assuming it's on /dev/sdf1 you would have to first mount that partition somewhere then navigate from the mount point through /<mount point>/boot/grub then open menu.lst as root.

[truth4life]

Well, at least its unique in degree. To make it perhaps more strange, I later attached  the HD to my older PC running Mimime2009, but when i opened it up it Errors, "Invalid filesystem type.

Anyway, this was an old HD, and maybe i should just use a different HD and install on that. Good night.

[Old-Polack]

Well, at least its unique in degree. To make it perhaps more strange, I later attached  the HD to my older PC running Mimime2009, but when i opened it up it Errors, "Invalid filesystem type.

Anyway,. this was an old HD, and maybe i should just use a diferent HD and install on that. Good night.

The readout of /dev/sdf seems quite normal, What is the other stuff that says it's /dev/sde and only 18 MB? Is there possibly a drive overlay involved?

[truth4life]

The readout of /dev/sdf seems quite normal, What is the other stuff that says it's /dev/sde and only 18 MB? Is there possibly a drive overlay involved?

I do not know about the above, but maybe i could run Qparted and repartition it. But thank God PCLOS 2010 is installed and running well this morning on a different pata HD, attached to a  USB adapter. I again chose to Use the Entire disk, and it installed and booted up fine, and running Firefox.

BTW, the reason i disconnect the other drives when installing, besides eliminating any risk of confusion for this Linux newbie,  is because i do not want the boot record on the Windows drive to be changed, though i see there is an option for that in this installer.  As long as the BIOS is set to boot to the removable drive before the Windows C drive, then it will boot off the USB if it is plugged in, or with some PCs you can hold down one of the F keys (like F12) and get an option. So if you have any extra HDs laying around as i do, then even a $3.50 (including shipping) 3.5/2.5/sata USB adapter (Ebay) will work. But with these cheaper ones you need to connect it to your PC power supply, as it comes without such.

I want to again thank Texstar and others for their work which benefits so many.

[Was_Just19]

Well, at least its unique in degree. To make it perhaps more strange, I later attached  the HD to my older PC running Mimime2009, but when i opened it up it Errors, "Invalid filesystem type.

Anyway,. this was an old HD, and maybe i should just use a diferent HD and install on that. Good night.

The readout of /dev/sdf seems quite normal, What is the other stuff that says it's /dev/sde and only 18 MB? Is there possibly a drive overlay involved?

Those entries look like purchased USB flash, or SD cards or such.
They have some weird partitioning scheme ......  for whatever reason.
I had to replace the partition table on the flash drives I bought with similar partitioning schemes.

[truth4life]

This PC has "extras" so i could be, but the drive went from being Windows fat32 to Linux (Kbuntu) to Minime, and as it is old that must have been the problem. A different drive installed and booted it  fine.