[gentoo-user] boot error

[gentoo-user] boot error

[James]

Hello,

I have several new portables to install.
On an HP9000z I reformatted the hard drive
and used liveCD 2007.0. I performed the most basic
installation (no X, KDE ....)

The installation ran to completion. The installation
process declared itself successful.

Upon reboot I get this error message:

Block Device /dev/sda4 is not a valid root device...
The root block device is unspecified or not detected.
Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a shell...

The partitioning is quite simple

sda1   ntfs     vista(soon)
sda2   reiserfs /boot
sda3   swap
ada4   reiserfs /

Trying sda2 does not work either.

Is the best method to rescue this install to use the 
minimal cd and fdisk and mark the sda2 partition as
a boot.

I'm about ready to use the Handbook and perform the install
the old way...

Any suggestions?


James

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Re: [gentoo-user] boot error

[Joshua Doll]

James wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have several new portables to install.
> On an HP9000z I reformatted the hard drive
> and used liveCD 2007.0. I performed the most basic
> installation (no X, KDE ....)
>
> The installation ran to completion. The installation
> process declared itself successful.
>
> Upon reboot I get this error message:
>
> Block Device /dev/sda4 is not a valid root device...
> The root block device is unspecified or not detected.
> Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a shell...
>
> The partitioning is quite simple
>
> sda1   ntfs     vista(soon)
> sda2   reiserfs /boot
> sda3   swap
> ada4   reiserfs /
>
> Trying sda2 does not work either.
>
> Is the best method to rescue this install to use the 
> minimal cd and fdisk and mark the sda2 partition as
> a boot.
>
> I'm about ready to use the Handbook and perform the install
> the old way...
>
> Any suggestions?
>
>
> James
>
>   
What's the drive mappings look like in the bios, I've had issues with 
sata (I assume) in the past and funky drive mappings because of the 
bios. It's also possible you missed the sata drivers in the kernel. Did 
you use genkernel or did you do it by hand?

--Joshua Doll
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Re: [gentoo-user] boot error

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:04:53 +0000 (UTC), James wrote:

> Upon reboot I get this error message:
> 
> Block Device /dev/sda4 is not a valid root device...
> The root block device is unspecified or not detected.
> Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a shell...


You probably haven't compiled the driver for your disk controller into
the kernel (not as a module).


-- 
Neil Bothwick

I am a computer -- dumber than any human and smarter than an
administrator.

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Re: [gentoo-user] boot error

[maxim wexler]

--- James <wireless@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I have several new portables to install.
> On an HP9000z I reformatted the hard drive
> and used liveCD 2007.0. I performed the most basic
> installation (no X, KDE ....)
> 
> The installation ran to completion. The installation
> process declared itself successful.
> 
> Upon reboot I get this error message:
> 
> Block Device /dev/sda4 is not a valid root device...
> The root block device is unspecified or not
> detected.
> Please specify a device to boot, or "shell" for a
> shell...
> 
> The partitioning is quite simple
> 
> sda1   ntfs     vista(soon)
> sda2   reiserfs /boot
> sda3   swap
> ada4   reiserfs /
> 
> Trying sda2 does not work either.
> 
> Is the best method to rescue this install to use the
> 
> minimal cd and fdisk and mark the sda2 partition as
> a boot.
> 
> I'm about ready to use the Handbook and perform the
> install
> the old way...
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> 
> James
> 
> -- 
> gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list
> 

This same problem has been handled on gentoo-user bout
a billion times. 



      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect.  Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7 

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[Joshua Doll]

James wrote:
> Joshua Doll <Joshua.Doll <at> gmail.com> writes:
>
>
>
>   
>> What's the drive mappings look like in the bios, I've had issues with 
>> sata (I assume) in the past and funky drive mappings because of the 
>> bios.
>>     
>
> The bios is minimalistic. Boot order is about all it will let me change.
> Right now it is as it should be:
> USB floppy
> cd
> hard drive
> usb hard drive
> ! network adapter
>
>
>   
>> It's also possible you missed the sata drivers in the kernel. Did 
>> you use genkernel or did you do it by hand?
>>     
>
> They looked like they were all there. I tried the standard and the advance.
> each method trying standard and downloading a stage3 tarball....
>
> All the same result.
>
> Any other ideas?
>
> James
>
>   
Sounds like you might have missed the kernel, the stage3 tarball doesn't 
include a kernel. I'm not familiar  with the graphic installer, but I 
don't think it does a kernel for you.


--Joshua Doll
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Re: [gentoo-user] boot error

[Mike Williams]

On Monday 23 July 2007 22:04:53 James wrote:
> Any suggestions?

Add doscsi to the kernel command line in grub.

-- 
Mike Williams
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gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] boot error

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:44:51 -0700 (PDT), maxim wexler wrote:

> This same problem has been handled on gentoo-user bout
> a billion times. 

And how does that comment help the OP? Without a link to the list
archives, all it tells him is that he is not the first to experience this.

Incidentally, Google shows somewhat less than a billion previous
instances of this question.

Results 1 - 11 of 11 from archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-user for "not a
valid root device".


-- 
Neil Bothwick

From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was
convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.

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[gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[James]

Mike Williams <mike <at> gaima.co.uk> writes:

> > Any suggestions?

> Add doscsi to the kernel command line in grub.


The 2007.0 liveCD did this as a default option.

I'm going back to a traditional (handbook) installation......


James







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[gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[James]

Neil Bothwick <neil <at> digimed.co.uk> writes:


> And how does that comment help the OP? Without a link to the list
> archives, all it tells him is that he is not the first to experience this.

Well if the solution is so trivial, I wonder why the devs don't
put the fix into the installation liveCD? The error can be 
due to a variety of problems. I have installed more than a dozen
gentoo systems over the last few years. Although not a whiz at Gentoo,
I do know the my way around. Figuring out which install media to use,
which kernel sources (stage 1-3) and such both from a liveCD install
is not difficult. Getting the LiveCD installation media to work, is always
a challenge, particularly with dual boot systems.




> Results 1 - 11 of 11 from archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-user for "not a
> valid root device".


I went to this  site. I have not seen this site before. I do not see an
interface for searching historical postings.  Some enlightenment on searching
out the postings would be appreciated.


That said. I went back to a minimal cd installation. During the fdisk portion
I noticed that none of the partitions have been marked as bootable (*). I used
fdisk to mark the /boot partition as bootable. I'm not sure this is required,
but the handbook for amd64 says to toggle the boot flag, so I did.

Several postings have suggested that the correct device driver for the sata
controller is not in the (stage 3) kernel (this make sense). Why should an HP
pavilion 9000z be support. I not sure that HP sells more than a few million of
these laptops per year......

Anywhy, even the handbook tells me to use a stage3 install tarball. HOwever, a
stage 3 does not give one the opportunity to build a custom kernel. So my
understanding is I'm going to have to use a stage 1 tarball, which is not
supported any more?


It has been said that I should use a stage one install tarball and build a
custom kernel. I'm just uncertain which installation media to use
and the guide for building a custom kernel (using lspci and lshw to discern
the actual sata controller), thus enabling the correct sata driver.

Any light on building a custom kernel, during the installation process, is most
welcome.  Minimal, liveCD or ???

It has been almost a year since I've installed a dual boot laptop and
ever time it's an adventure.....After this HP, I have a Dell lpatop
and a Sony Viao to set up.



James





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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:14:59 +0000 (UTC), James wrote:

> > And how does that comment help the OP? Without a link to the list
> > archives, all it tells him is that he is not the first to experience
> > this.  

> Well if the solution is so trivial, I wonder why the devs don't
> put the fix into the installation liveCD? The error can be 
> due to a variety of problems.

Which makes it anything but trivial. That would imply a single, simple
change.

> > Results 1 - 11 of 11 from archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-user for "not a
> > valid root device".  
 
> I went to this  site. I have not seen this site before. I do not see an
> interface for searching historical postings.  Some enlightenment on
> searching out the postings would be appreciated.

I use Google to search it "search string site:archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-user"

> Anywhy, even the handbook tells me to use a stage3 install tarball.
> HOwever, a stage 3 does not give one the opportunity to build a custom
> kernel. So my understanding is I'm going to have to use a stage 1
> tarball, which is not supported any more?

A stage 3 not only gives you the opportunity to build a kernel, it
requires you to do so (unless you use the live CD kernel which defeats
the object of using a customisable distro). Stage 3 only skips the
bootstrap and emerge system steps that take so much time with a Stage 1
install. I always do Stage 3 installs now, you can emerge -e system once
the system is running to apply your USE and CFLAGS customisations.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

The man who dies with the most toys is dead.

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[Mike Williams]

On Tuesday 24 July 2007 02:52:33 James wrote:
> > > Any suggestions?
> >
> > Add doscsi to the kernel command line in grub.
>
> The 2007.0 liveCD did this as a default option.
>
> I'm going back to a traditional (handbook) installation......

When the initrd/ramfs barfs, and lets you type in "shell", do so and look 
for /dev/hda?.
This is a kernel/initrd problem, reinstallation is almost certainly not 
necessary. What kernel did you choose during installation?

-- 
Mike Williams
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gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list

[gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[James]

Neil Bothwick <neil <at> digimed.co.uk> writes:


> I use Google to search it "search string site:archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-user"

Very nice, never thought of using google to search a specific site....


> A stage 3 not only gives you the opportunity to build a kernel, it
> requires you to do so (unless you use the live CD kernel which defeats
> the object of using a customisable distro). Stage 3 only skips the
> bootstrap and emerge system steps that take so much time with a Stage 1
> install. I always do Stage 3 installs now, you can emerge -e system once
> the system is running to apply your USE and CFLAGS customisations.


OK, I went back to the handbook install process. I should have used a stage3
but I did not. Builing a kernel using menuconfig the Nvidia MCP51, which
was already preselected, I think that the issue of the a correct driver
is solved? Not really sure until I get the kernel to boot.

I used a stage 1 and got all the way to installing grub before
the install stalled.

Here's the grub error when (page 10 for amd64) I entered
'emerge grub'

rm: cannot remove '/var/tmp/portage/sys-boot/grub-0.97-r3/image/bin':
Funciont not implemented

then it repeats for .../image/lib .../image/usr and so no.

Maybe one of the partions is not rw?  The other emerges along the
way ran fine.   I did issue a
'etc-update' just before 'emerge grub'. Maybe that caused
the problem for the chrooted environment?

Any ideas?
Should I just trash the install and start over?
This is frustrating because except for using a stage 1 tarball
and issuing a questionable 'etc-update' I verbosely followed
the handbook installation process.


James



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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:57:48 +0000 (UTC), James wrote:

> This is frustrating because except for using a stage 1 tarball
> and issuing a questionable 'etc-update' I verbosely followed
> the handbook installation process.
> 

So follow the handbook and use a Stage 3. Stage 1 is only of benefit to
those that like to spend hours watching GCC output.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes!

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: boot error

[Joshua Doll]

Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:57:48 +0000 (UTC), James wrote:
>
>   
>> This is frustrating because except for using a stage 1 tarball
>> and issuing a questionable 'etc-update' I verbosely followed
>> the handbook installation process.
>>
>>     
>
> So follow the handbook and use a Stage 3. Stage 1 is only of benefit to
> those that like to spend hours watching GCC output.
>
>
>   
I know I do......


--Joshua Doll
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