PDA

View Full Version : [ubuntu] Problems installing Ubuntu 8.04 - waiting for root file system



Thriell
November 21st, 2008, 04:41 PM
I recently installed Ubuntu 8.04 and it refuses to boot.

I've managed to get it (finally!) to tell me that it's hanging up while waiting for the root file system, but, as a clueless newbie, I'm not exactly sure that means what it sounds like it means.

It sounds as though the system can't find my hard disk. To me, that's just nonsense, because it was able to find it well enough to install all the system files in the first place!

I'm working with an older system:

Gigabyte ga-6vtx motherboard
800MB SDRAM
80GB IDE hard drive

PLEASE, can someone help? This has me ready to scream!

eder.apt-get
November 21st, 2008, 05:00 PM
It looks like your system is not finding or mountin /root.
Can you post the results of these two commands?
sudo df -T
sudo fdisk -l <your_partition> (for example, hda)

Maybe you gonna have to run the live CD and choose to fix the previous installation.

Thriell
November 21st, 2008, 05:37 PM
It looks like your system is not finding or mountin /root.
Can you post the results of these two commands?
sudo df -T

Filesystem Type 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs tmpfs 403892 16512 387380 5% /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/volatile
tmpfs tmpfs 403892 16512 387380 5% /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/volatile
varrun tmpfs 403892 100 403792 1% /var/run
varlock tmpfs 403892 0 403892 0% /var/lock
udev tmpfs 403892 36 403856 1% /dev
devshm tmpfs 403892 12 403880 1% /dev/shm
tmpfs tmpfs 403892 16 403876 1% /tmp


sudo fdisk -l <your_partition> (for example, hda)


Disk /dev/sda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x4e7c4e7b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 7994 64211773+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 7995 8006 96390 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 8007 8068 498015 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda4 8069 9964 15229620 83 Linux

Thriell
November 21st, 2008, 06:40 PM
FWIW, when I use the LiveCD to run GpartEd on my hard drive, GpartEd shows warning symbols next to every partirion except the swap partition. Clicking on Partition->information after selecting a partition with the warning gets a message about how it couldn't find a valid filesystem superblock (whatever THAT is) and that the filesystem can't be read, or sumsuch nonsense.

If it can't READ the filesystem, how in the name of all that is holy is the install program able to WRITE the system files to the drive?

This is making less and less sense.

...and to think, some people say Windows is confusing...

Thriell
November 21st, 2008, 09:12 PM
Okay, here's a little more info about my problem.

When I booted from the LiveCD just now, it dawned on me that when I clicked "Computer" from the "Places" menu, it showed an SCSI hard drive. I don't have one of those . . . Mine is an (older) IDE drive, specifically, a Maxtor R080L0, according to Windows' Device Manager.

Why would it decide my IDE drive is an SCSI drive and, more importantly, how can I convince it otherwise?

Thriell
November 22nd, 2008, 01:17 AM
Bump!

Thriell
November 22nd, 2008, 08:36 PM
Somebody?

Anybody?

I've searched the forums and I've not found any help whatsoever.

Thriell
November 23rd, 2008, 06:49 AM
So, what does a guy have to do to get a little help around here!?!?!?