# Kernel panic VFS: unable to mount root fs on 3:04

## DarkNebula

Well after like 4 hours of installing Gentoo and all the packages, I can't boot into it!  :Sad:  I'm new to Gentoo, and was using Mandrake for a while, and I really want to try out Gentoo! Can anyone help me? Thanks  :Very Happy: 

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## geniux

What bootloader are you using? lilo, grub?

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## DarkNebula

Lilo

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## geniux

Ok, can you post your lilo.conf and your fstab? and maybe the errormessage you get when you're booting up.

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## DarkNebula

lilo.conf: 

```
boot=/dev/hda

prompt

timeout=500

default=gentoo

vga=788

image=/boot/kernel-2.4.26-gentoo-r6

 label=gentoo

 read-only

 root=/dev/hda4

other=/dev/hda2

 label=windows

```

fstab: 

```

/dev/hda1  /boot  ext2 noauto,noatime 1 1

/dev/hda4 /  ext3 noatime 0 0

/dev/hda3 none swap sw 0 0

/dev/cdroms/cdrom0 /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro 0 0

none /proc proc defaults 0 0

none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0

```

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## DarkNebula

All I can see wrong is Kernel panic VFS: unable to mount root fs on 3:04

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## geniux

Hm, this looks right, though.

Do you receive any other messages at all when you try to boot? Besides the kernel panic.

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## DarkNebula

Not sure if these have anything to do with it... but these are the only error message, if they are in fact an error, that I can see:

ds: no socket drivers loaded (Probably not anything to do with it)

kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k scsi_host adapter errno=2 (maybe?)

Thanks for the help  :Very Happy: 

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## geniux

But your hd are IDE and not SATA? Anyway, could you post your kernel conf and maybe your mainboard model?

Alot of posting, hope you don't mind. But it will be easier for others to maybe locate any error that I or someone would miss

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## DarkNebula

Where is kernel.conf (newbie) lol

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## mattmm

ok i'm having the same problem...but i'm having a brain fart...how do I mount the physcial harddrives via the live CD console?

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## DarkNebula

mount /dev/hda(# of hd) /mnt/gentoo

Anyone can help me?  :Smile:  lol

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## DarkNebula

I used locate, and it turns out I only have a genkernel.conf. Do I have to do something to make a kernel.conf?

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## mattmm

Here is what I have in grub.conf and /etc/fstab:

```

default 0

timeout 30

splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

title=Gentoo Linux 2.6.8-gentoo-r3

root (hd1,0)

kernel /kernel-2.6.8-gentoo-r3 root=/dev/hdb3

title=Windows XP Pro

rootnoverify (hd0,5)

makeactive

chainloader +1

/dev/hdb1               /boot            ext2            noauto,noatime                     1 1

/dev/hdb3               /                ReiserFS        noatime                                   0 0

/dev/hdb2               none             swap          sw                                             0 0

/dev/cdroms/cdrom0       /mnt/cdrom        iso9660  noauto,ro               0 0

/dev/fd0                /mnt/floppy     auto          noauto                                     0 0

```

But still getting the Kernel Panic message.

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## black hole sun

Post the output of

fdisk -l

I'm betting you mislabeled your harddrive.

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## DarkNebula

```

Disk /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disc : 80.0 GB

/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disk/part1 * 1-63 : 31720+ (size) : 83 (ID)

/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disk/part2 * 25242-155059 : 65428272 : 7

/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disk/part3    64-1056: 500472 : 82

/dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disk/part4    1057-25241: 12189240 : 83

```

(not an exact copy of course, I just wrote the important info on paper, if there is anything else you need just ask thanks)

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## DarkNebula

I'm confused why the partitions have such long names. Are these the name I have to use? lol

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## mattmm

Doubt they are mislabeled. If i boot from the live CD, I can mount /dev/hdb3 and it is my root. However, when i did emerge sync, It said emerge was not found. I never ran into this problem using my 2004.1 CD. This installation was done with a 2004.2 CD.

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## haz3l

get into your FS somehow (chroot from gentoo CD?) type 'lilo' and reboot. 

I've gotten this error when I've made changes to lilo.conf and not typed 'lilo' to load/do whatever with the changes.

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