# [solved]doesnt boot up after installed Fedora

## coolone

I installed Fedora 11 on sda5, I have Gentoo on sda2, and sda1 is the collective boot folder.

after installed fedora 11, i cannot boot up gentoo, the erros show:

 *Quote:*   

> Root-NFS: No NFS server available, giving up
> 
> VFS: Unable to mount root fs via NFS, trying floppy
> 
> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)

 

then, i formatted boot folder sda1, and re-emerged grub....

but unfortunately i still cannot make the gentoo boot-up, but it can go through, from command line without errors

boot

kernel /bzImage-2.9.2xxxxx

boot 

could someone help with this? 

thanks a lot

----------

## Bones McCracker

The Fedora install may have installed a menu.lst or grub.conf file.

```
mount boot

cd /boot/grub

ls
```

As Gentoo sets it up, there would normally be a grub.conf file with a soft link to it named menu.lst.  Check to see if that is still the case.

If you want to use a common /boot partition for both distributions, then you will have to manually keep track of the grub.conf (menu.lst) file.   Make sure it still has the boot options in it for Gentoo, and if they are not there, you will have reconstruct them.

Bottom line: you will need a single grub configuration file with your boot options for both distros listed.

Here is some GRUB documentation, in case you need it:

http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html

If you can't figure it out for yourself, post your grub.conf file here and somebody will help you.  If a separate menu.lst file has been installed (replacing what was originally just a symlink to grub.conf), then post that too.

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## coolone

thank you for your reply

i have these files which are located @ grub folder

device.map     grub.conf         minix_stage1_5     stage2

e2fs_stage1_5  iso9660_stage1_5  reiserfs_stage1_5  ufs2_stage1_5

fat_stage1_5   jfs_stage1_5      splash.xpm.gz      vstafs_stage1_5

ffs_stage1_5   menu.lst          stage1             xfs_stage1_5

menu.lst / grub.conf are the same.

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> default=0
> 
> timeout=5
> ...

 

I used to have 2 linux distro, one is gentoo another is fedora, today i just updated fedora to 11 version, then it doesnt work no more...

cannot boot through gentoo  but fedora ...

 still cannot bootup gentoo, same error except boot manually.. thanks a lot.

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## Bones McCracker

I am not familiar with the use of nfs-root, although I assumed that required an initrd.

I'm also not familiar with rhgb (although I know it's the red hat graphical boot thingy).  Are you sure that "rhgb" belongs in your gentoo image's boot line?  Was it there and working before?

Also, I'm not familiar with the use of the "no initrd" statement.  I don't use an initrd, and I don't have a "no initrd" statement.  You might want to verify that.

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## coolone

i have been using this kernel without any error 1 month

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## Bones McCracker

 *coolone wrote:*   

> i have been using this kernel without any error 1 month

 

The question is whether your grub.conf has changed.

Specifically, I am wondering whether the section pertaining to gentoo has changed.

As noted above, I see two things that look suspicious to me:

"rhgb"

"no initrd"

It's possible these are correct or ignored.  Beyond that, I think this is over my head.  I am sorry if that doesn't solve it.  Hopefully somebody else will offer some additional help.  The fact that the error message pertains to nfs-root makes me think it's using your initrd (or trying to).  That's what makes me suspicious of the "no initrd" entry and the rhgb command-line option.

One other tip is that you may want to use a symlink for your kernel images in /boot.  For example, if you symlink 'bzImage-linux-2.6.29.4' to something generic, say 'bzImage', then you can just have this in your grub.conf and don't have to edit it when you update the kernel.

```
kernel /bzImage ro root=/dev/hda2 quiet 
```

In fact, when you are done with your 'make && make modules_install', you can use 'make install' and it will copy everything needed into /boot and create a symlink for you (a hard link, actually).

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## coolone

thank you very much for your help so far.

the grub.conf file has not been changed, just like it was, i have tried to change the grub.conf as you pointed, but no lucky.

i am wondering the bzImage was good and the grub.conf was good, why the problem happened after upgraded fedora!

even if i remove fedora, the problem still exist. sigh!!!

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## Bones McCracker

Hmmm.  I would have thought it had something to do with Fedora altering your grub.conf.

Since you have already removed Fedora, here is what I would try:

Boot from a CD.

Go back through the Gentoo handbook, mounting your partitions (including /boot) and getting into a chroot.

Back up your grub.conf file somewhere and purge your /boot directory.

Use the handbook to the repeat the process of installing grub.

Then put a fresh kernel image in boot, and verify your grub.conf.

And reboot.

If that doesn't work, rebuild the kernel and try again.  Once you've got that working, you could try setting up the dual-boot again. I have dual-booted with other Linux distros many times before, and even BSDs, on multiple architectures.  This is doable.  If we can't figure it out, I know somebody who knows both Gentoo and Fedora who can probably help.

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## coolone

thank you, i am doing it now

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## coolone

i have just boot from gentoo live CD and grub setup MBR again, seems the problem is from grub/MBR 

rebuilded kernel, disable NFS options, now, the system only show 1 error

 *Quote:*   

> Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(2,0)

 

 i am thinking if it is better to remove MBR and reinstall it again.

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## krinn

Didn't really read it all, but you said sda2 gentoo, sda1 boot...

 *coolone wrote:*   

> 
> 
>  *Quote:*   
> 
> title Gentoo (2.6.29.4)
> ...

 

```
title Gentoo (2.6.29.4)

       root(hd0,0)

        kernel /bzImage-linux-2.6.29.4 ro root=/dev/sda2 rhgb quiet

```

And i insist on sda2 instead of hda2

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## Bones McCracker

As I recall, that error shows up when you don't have support for your root filesystem in your kernel, or when the grub boot line is wrong (like you indicated the wrong root partition or something).

I also just noticed, you didn't have a "root" statement in the gentoo entry of the grub.conf file you posted.  That may have been the problem (and probably still is, if you don't have it).

You know, where it should say:

```
title  Gentoo (desktop)

root (hd0,0)                                          <----------------  this thing here

kernel /bzImage-linux-2.6.29.4 ro root=/dev/hda2 quiet
```

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## Bones McCracker

 *krinn wrote:*   

> Didn't really read it all, but you said sda2 gentoo, sda1 boot...

 

Yeah.  Good point.   :Laughing: 

If your drives are /dev/sda*, then that's what you should have in grub.conf.  Like so:

```
title  Gentoo

root (hd0,0)

kernel /bzImage-linux-2.6.29.4 ro root=/dev/sda2 quiet
```

----------

## Tintamarre

I had the same issues due to my /dev/sda* that was named /hda* in my grub file.

The reason firstly came from the fact that the minimal install disk (2008 version) named it hda instead of sda ...

Don't forget to modify your /etc/fstab too, ...

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## Bones McCracker

 *Tintamarre wrote:*   

> I had the same issues due to my /dev/sda* that was named /hda* in my grub file.
> 
> The reason firstly came from the fact that the minimal install disk (2008 version) named it hda instead of sda ...
> 
> Don't forget to modify your /etc/fstab too, ...

 

Thing is, he said his grub.conf is unchanged, and that he's been using this kernel for months.  So maybe he just typed "sda" in this thread by accident.

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## coolone

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh   :Very Happy: 

Thank u very much, BoneKracker and krinn  :Smile: 

yes you r right, should be like  *Quote:*   

> root=/dev/sda2

   not hda2.... i have tried to many methods,

i have no idea why my box can ignore this problem before upgrading fedora, even if i have removed fedora the problem still cannot be passed .... that is very weird..., 

but finally..... i checked my fstab these are all sdaX.....

as recall, 1 letter changes the whole wrong.... haha

thank you for all your help

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## Bones McCracker

Make sure you have that root line in there too.

```
title  Gentoo

root (hd0,0)

kernel /bzImage-linux-2.6.29.4 ro root=/dev/sda2 quiet
```

If it works, put "Solved" in the subject of original post.   :Smile: 

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## Tintamarre

 *coolone wrote:*   

> 
> 
> i have no idea why my box can ignore this problem before upgrading fedora, even if i have removed fedora the problem still cannot be passed .... that is very weird...,

 

I'm not sure but this could be related to the udev (141) update. 

Did you update udev just before installing Fedora ?

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## coolone

no i didn't just upgraded Fedora.....

Cheers:)

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