# <0>Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception... [SOLVED]

## sinanqapudan

Hi there,

after the latest

```
emerge --update --deep world
```

my system was finally able to emerge openoffice (apparently).

I went to sleep (old and slow machine) and the day after I found that my system was hanged.

As I couldn't turn it off with the halt command, I stopped it by disconnecting it from the power supply. At restart I got the error:

```
<0>Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt
```

Now when I try to boot the system, sometimes it hangs after the

cleaning the /tmp directory

message is displayed or I get the kernel panic error above

Any suggestion on how I can get my system back to work?

ThanksLast edited by sinanqapudan on Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:57 am; edited 1 time in total

----------

## Qdot

Try passing kernel parameters like:

"init=/bin/bash" 

Than, see what is wrong. Since it clearly shouldn't happen, I'd guess it has to do with a hardware failure. Overheating CPU, memory, bad sectors on hdd etc.. it could explain why it hung and why emerging openoffice put too much stress on the PC.

----------

## sinanqapudan

Thanks for your suggestion I'll do that. 

As for the CPU overheating, I thought of that but even after allowing for the system to cool down, I get the same errors.

I've googled the error message and it seems that it is mentioned often together with SATA. Now, it happens that I have a SATA controller that I've been struggling to make it work with dmaid, and if I remember well, one of the latest 

```
emerge -- update --deep world
```

emerged a new dmraid as well (cannot remember the exact version)

Can it be possible that this screwed up it all?

Regards

----------

## Qdot

Possibly. Try posting more lines from dmesg rather than the last one. It usually gives more clue as to what exactly caused kernel to commit suicide.

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## sinanqapudan

Qdot, you wrote:

 *Quote:*   

> Try passing kernel parameters like:
> 
> "init=/bin/bash"
> 
> Than, see what is wrong. 

 

How? Also dmesg didn't return anything.

Thanks

----------

## Qdot

Well, after you pass "init=/bin/bash" to the kernel (assuming you use grub, before you boot you'll get a  change to edit kernel command line, append this code)

```

title  Gentoo 

root (hd0,0)

kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/evms/root init=/bin/bash

initrd /evms-2.5.5-initrd.gz

```

You will be dropped in a shell with no init script parsing. Try creating some disk activity (maybe dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/null), generally try to reproduce this error.

----------

## sinanqapudan

Oh, btw sometimes the systems reboots after displaying the 

```
cleaning /tmp directory
```

message at boot.

----------

## sinanqapudan

This is what I get 

```

Call Trace:

[<c0119c06>] update_process_times+0x4c/0x55

[<c01056f6>] timer_interrupt+0x40/0x6c

[<c0134b89>] handle_IRQ_event+0x1a/0x3f

[<c0135dc0>] handle_level_irq+0x9d/0xfb

[<c0104825>] do_IRQ+0x59/0x70

[<c0102e47>] common_interrupt+0x23/0x28

[<c022bad1>] _mmx_memcpy+0x69/0x138

[<c019601c>] reiserfs_readdir+0x3ec/0x551

[<c015a698>]<filldir64+0x0/0xc8

=======================

Code: 4d 10 85 d2 78 06 c9 e9 4c ff ff ff c9 b8 ea ff ff ff c3 55 89 e5 57 89 c7

56 53 89 d3 83 ec 10 8b 40 30 39 42 30 74 0d 8b 42 04 <0f> ba 68 08 03 e9 fb 01

00 00 89 e0 25 00 e0 ff ff ff 40 14 8b

EIP: [<c010ea5b>] task_running_tick+0x18/0x225 SS:ESP 0068:c1769d6c

<0>Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt

```

Suggestions?

----------

## sinanqapudan

Qdot,

the instructions are not completely clear. I use GRUB, but it is not clear whether the code should be appended like this:

```
root (hd2,1)

kernel /boot/vmlinuz "init=/bin/bash"
```

which leads me to a shell prompt like this

```
(none) / #
```

and if I do this

```
dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/null
```

the system hangs;

or rather should I do like this:

```
root (hd0,0)

kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/evms/root init=/bin/bash

initrd /evms-2.5.5-initrd.gz 
```

but in this case I get a GRUB error.

----------

## sinanqapudan

Now, it is not a PCI Sata controller hw failure, I couldn't boot evaen after removing the card. 

I was trying to recall what I did during the latest upgrade and I remember updating the default runlevel for mdadm. I did this following the advice on the screen immediately after the system compiled mdadm (I can't recall the exact code I entered), before the system attempted to merge openoffice.

Any suggestions on how to solve this problem?

Thanks

----------

## Qdot

Well, in your config file, find the line looking like "kernel /something root=/dev/sth ..." and append "init=/bin/bash"

that would drop you in a root shell immediately after kernel finishes starting up.

is "dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/null" freezing the machine or is it still working ?

try stopping it by pressing Ctrl-C etc.

btw, it looks like system has problems doing reiserfs operations. when in this 'safe mode' shell, try running fsck.reiserfs on your root partition

or do the same from a bootable livecd.

----------

## sinanqapudan

OK solved!!

Performed some 

```
fsck.reiserfs --rebuild-tree /dev/hdg2
```

and 

```
fsck.reiserfs --rebuild-tree /dev/hdg3
```

and then reboot and the system was up and running again

Thank you

----------

