devils casper

Is there any grub.conf file in its /boot/grub folder? Post contents of that file too.

fdisk -l command displays Partition Structure and device names assigned to Hard Disks attached in the machine. I want output from your Laptop not from desktop. It might possible that your Laptop's BIOS is interacting with GRUB differently and assigning different device names to HardDisks.

__________________

Yuriy07

Sorry for the delay.

I created Fedora 6 liveCD. Mounted the Linux partition:
(running as root@localhost)

[root@localhost dev]# mkdir -p /dev/mydisk1
[root@localhost dev]# mount /dev/sda1 /dev/mydisk1
mount: unknown filesystem type 'ntfs'
[root@localhost dev]# mount /dev/sdb1 /dev/mydisk1
[root@localhost dev]# cd /dev/mydisk1
[root@localhost mydisk1]# ls
config-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6 symvers-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6.gz
config-2.6.22.2-42.fc6 System.map-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6
grub System.map-2.6.22.2-42.fc6
initrd-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6.img vmlinuz-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6
initrd-2.6.22.2-42.fc6.img vmlinuz-2.6.22.2-42.fc6
lost+found
[root@localhost mydisk1]# mkdir -p /dev/mydisk2
[root@localhost mydisk1]# mount /dev/sdb2 /dev/mydisk2
mount: /dev/sdb2 already mounted or /dev/mydisk2 busy
[root@localhost mydisk1]# cd /dev/mydisk2
[root@localhost mydisk2]# ls
[root@localhost mydisk2]# ls -l
total 0
[root@localhost mydisk2]# cat /etc/fstab
/dev/mapper/livecd-rw / ext3 defaults,noatime 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
[root@localhost mydisk2]# fdisk -l
bash: fdisk: command not found
[root@localhost mydisk2]# cd /dev/sdb
bash: cd: /dev/sdb: Not a directory
[root@localhost mydisk2]# fdisk -l
bash: fdisk: command not found
[root@localhost mydisk2]#


Apparently, fdisk -l does not exist on liveCD. At least, it does not know what it is. Please advise.

devils casper

Plug-in External Disk and Boot up from LiveCD and execute this
Post output here.
Execute this too
Post first root and kernel lines only.

__________________

Yuriy07

su *-* did not work. There's also no /boot directory on usb1 partition. There's /grub/grub.conf.

Here's my session:

[fedora@localhost ~]$ su *-*
su: user *-* does not exist
[fedora@localhost ~]$ fdisk -l
bash: fdisk: command not found
[fedora@localhost ~]$ mkdir /media/disk1
mkdir: cannot create directory `/media/disk1': Permission denied
[fedora@localhost ~]$ su
[root@localhost fedora]# su *-*
su: user *-* does not exist
[root@localhost fedora]# mkdir /media/disk1
[root@localhost fedora]# mount -t ext3 /dev/sdb1 /media/disk1
[root@localhost fedora]# less /media/disk1/boot/grub/grub.conf
/media/disk1/boot/grub/grub.conf: No such file or directory
[root@localhost fedora]# cd /media/disk1
[root@localhost disk1]# cd boot
bash: cd: boot: No such file or directory
[root@localhost disk1]# ls
config-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6 symvers-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6.gz
config-2.6.22.2-42.fc6 System.map-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6
grub System.map-2.6.22.2-42.fc6
initrd-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6.img vmlinuz-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6
initrd-2.6.22.2-42.fc6.img vmlinuz-2.6.22.2-42.fc6
lost+found
[root@localhost disk1]# cd grub
[root@localhost grub]# cd boot
bash: cd: boot: No such file or directory
[root@localhost grub]# ls
device.map grub.conf~ reiserfs_stage1_5 vstafs_stage1_5
e2fs_stage1_5 iso9660_stage1_5 splash.xpm.gz xfs_stage1_5
fat_stage1_5 jfs_stage1_5 stage1
ffs_stage1_5 menu.lst stage2
grub.conf minix_stage1_5 ufs2_stage1_5
[root@localhost grub]#

here's less grub.conf:

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd1,0)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
hiddenmenu
title Fedora Core (2.6.19-1.2895.fc6)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6
initrd /initrd-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6.img
title WindowsXP
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

devils casper

Its not su *-*. Its su and hyphen sign only.
You have separate /boot partition. I think you are using 'LVM'.
Is it a complete kernel line?

__________________

Yuriy07

[fedora@localhost ~]$ su -
[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 15505 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 14765 111623368+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 14766 15505 5594400 12 Compaq diagnostics

Disk /dev/dm-0: 3221 MB, 3221225984 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 391 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/sdb: 164.6 GB, 164696555520 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 20023 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sdb2 14 20023 160730325 8e Linux LVM
[root@localhost ~]#

Yes, as you can see there's Linux LVM on a second partition of SATA HD. Using LVM was a typical way to install Fedora 6 back when I got it, I think. Is this a problem if I want now to use this drive as USB connected HD?

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6

is a line I was using when booting my old desktop. I have tried to add "ro" parameter even before you mentioned it (because online search often shows this as common parameter) but it had no effect, I got exactly the same result. Frankly, I don't remember whether grub originally had it, or I removed it for some reason. But it does not seem to matter.

devils casper

If you are using LVM then sometimes its necessary to regenerate initrd image.ro and root parameters are necessary to boot up any kernel. Have you tried this code at grub> prompt?

__________________

Yuriy07

I am sure I tried:

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00

but I will try it again to double check. I don't have my floppy drive right now so maybe later today or tomorrow. Thanks.

devils casper

Ok ! Do let me know how it goes.
Good Luck !

__________________

Yuriy07

I tried it automatically and manually. Same problem. Here's the my input and output:

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogGroup00
[Linux-bzImage, setup=0x1e00, size=0x1e33ce]

initrd /initrd-2.6.19-1.2895.fc6.img
[Linux-initrd @ 0x37dbc000, 0x23318d bytes]

boot
...
kernel panic

You mentioned that I probably will have to rebuild the initrd. I guess the only way to do this is to use a desktop so that I can access Lunix on that disk. Or maybe I can do it with the LiveCD?