# Boot Issue please help

## w00t

I am aware that a question similar to this has been asked before, but I think that was with ReiserFS.  I have installed gentoo, and when I first boot up I boot through grub (my config file is fine, honestly, please dont tell me thats the problem) I get an error of Kernel Panic, cannot mount root filesystem, please append with a proper boot= option.  I have no idea what the problem is.  It is all ext3, and I complied ext3 support into my kernel.  However, due to an ATA controller it is on drive letter e.  Is that a problem?  I would really appreciate some help, and once again my grub config file is fine, I have compared it to a friend's whose is the same except the drive letter and he is fine.

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## delta407

The kernel needs to know where to find its root filesystem. If your / filesystem is on hda3 (as per the install guides), go into your grub config, and make it read this:

```
kernel bzImage root=/dev/hda3
```

So, you config is the problem.  :Very Happy: 

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## masseya

You could always post your config file and we could verify that it's fine for ourselves.  It's hard to think that it's anything else if all you are using is ext3 and that's compiled into the kernel.

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## rac

What kind of ATA controller is it?  Does it require a special driver?  If so, is said driver in the kernel?

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## w00t

I have since install mandrake 8.2 and so don't have the old config file lying about.  I had the bzimage set properly and the root directory.  I am going to attempt to install again with ext2.  To the question about my controller, its a Maxtor ATA100 and I have never had any trouble with it before with drivers.

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## w00t

Might the conflict be with my rig?  I have a 440BX motherboard and a P3 600E.  I have 384 MB of PC100 RAM.  The only real oddity is the Maxtor ATA100 controller.  My cdrom and my burner and both plugged into the motherboard not the controller.  Does this cause an issue?

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## masseya

There should be no problem if the ATA controller has some driver in the kernel.  Whether you have to find an option and compile it in or the card just works with the default config that comes with the gentoo sources is another issue.  You might what to google your controller card and linux to see what it gives.

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## w00t

I have run a google search and havent turned up any real information.  I manage to load the bzImage and all, but then as it continues to boot it tries to mount my root fs and then I have my error that it cant find it.  So I really am not sure if the problem is with the ATA.  It really puzzles me.  I wish I had my grub.lst to prove that I am not an idiot, but it was correctly configured.  And I tried many permutations of drive letters for root= in my desperation.  Can it count as high as e in letters?  I really have no decent theories.

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## deathdruid

Assuming that yur on-board controller has two channels, the first disk on the Maxtor ATA100 controller will be hde, the second hdf and so on. So try using a root=/dev/hdex option. Or have you tried that already?

-Rahul

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## pilla

You can use grub in interactive mode (command line mode) to access the disk.You can use TAB to complete an entry 

For example, 

```

root (hd

```

and them hit TAB to get the possible disks

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## w00t

When I get home I will post my grub file, but what happens is I select gentoo, and it finds the bzImage no problem.  However, as it continues along, it goes to mount the root partition and cannot find it.  I installed again yesterday and had the same problem i've been having.

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## w00t

I have managed to figure out the problem.  I get the error message of

Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 22:03

22:03 is the master on the secondary ide controler.  Because gentoo is now installed on my second hard drive, my grub config looks like this:

```
root (hd1,0)

kernel /boot/bzImage root=/dev/hdg3

```

So because it is looking at hd1 in grub, it must also think to be looking for hd1 on the ides.  Anyone know how to remedy this?  I have an ATA 100 controller and dont feel like going to my motherboard's ATA 33 even though emerge and the portage tree are god

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## rac

 *w00t wrote:*   

> 
> 
> ```
> kernel /boot/bzImage root=/dev/hdg3
> ```
> ...

 

You said earlier that your / filesystem was on hde.  Is this still true?  Maybe that hdg3 should be hde3?

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## w00t

sorry, I have since reinstalled on my second drive.  Thus it is now /dev/hdg.  I am going to try to plug everything into the ATA and disable IDE in hopes of convincing grub when I get home

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## w00t

ok, my computer is in pieces, and i am sad.  Who wants to make a good suggestion before I put it back together?

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## pilla

For your sadness, I would recomend a beer.  :Cool: 

Verify your BIOS settings. Verify if all cables are well connected. Verify if you are not charged with static eletricity.  

 *w00t wrote:*   

> ok, my computer is in pieces, and i am sad.  Who wants to make a good suggestion before I put it back together?

 

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## kyron

Little Q...is your MB set to "Boot from onboard controller first" ?

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## w00t

I disabled the hard drives and all so that a was the first hard drive and b (with gentoo) was the second.  I verified this by booting mandrake with a as the drive letter successfully (til its fstab got really angry) but at any rate, I think im up the creek of code without a paddle, and isnt kyron spelled khyron?

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## deathdruid

What is the status now? Can you boot at all? Are you still getting a "cannot mount root" error? Sorry but I can't seem to figure this out from what you have written so far.  :Question: 

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## w00t

yeah im still screwed

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## kyron

 *w00t wrote:*   

> I disabled the hard drives and all so that a was the first hard drive and b (with gentoo) was the second.  I verified this by booting mandrake with a as the drive letter successfully (til its fstab got really angry) but at any rate, I think im up the creek of code without a paddle, and isnt kyron spelled khyron?

 

1- Disabled your drives how?...in the BIOS? My experience is that Linux pretty much tends to ignore what the BIOS says as soon as it has booted. Therefore I would not rely on "activating / deactivating" your drives in the BIOS to cange the ordering...it just won't!

2- I guess it's officially Khyron....but I had originally come up with the name a few years back on BBS cuz I thought no one would come up with such a name (and boy was I wrong!)

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## w00t

I turned off IDE in the bios and it definitely worked because my mandrake on the first drive worked fine when i told it in grub it was hda.  And I just mentioned the name because a friend of mine often goes by Khyron

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