# [SOLVED] Root filesystem could not be mounted read/write

## erebe

Hi every one and thanks for your interest to this topic.

My problem: I recently changed my kernel version (gentoo-sources) and now when i boot i have this message

```
Root filesystem could not be mounted read/write

Give root password for maintenance
```

I used linux-2.6.30-gentoo-r8 and every things worked well (and still work well if i boot on this kernel) but now with this kernel linux-2.6.32-gentoo-r7 i have this boot issue.

My root partition is ext4

What i tried:

Remount rw manually my root partition --> the fs is read only and locked

Check my fstab --> look fine to me and it work well with my last kernel

Add a lot of options in my kernel --> desperate time, desperate mesure but problem still remain.

Try an other kernel linux-2.6.33-gentoo-r1 --> same problem

Here my fstab :

```
# NOTE: If your BOOT partition is ReiserFS, add the notail option to opts.

/dev/sda6      /      ext4      defaults,noatime   0 1

/dev/sda5      /boot      ext2      defaults,noatime   0 2

/dev/sda8      none      swap      sw      0 0

/dev/sda7      /home      ext4      defaults,noatime   0 1

none         /proc      proc      defaults   0 0

none          /dev/shm   tmpfs      nodev,nosuid,noexec 0 0

/dev/sdb1      /media/usb   auto      noauto,users,defaults,noatime   0 0

/dev/sdc1      /media/usb2   auto      noauto,users,defaults,noatime   0 0

/dev/sda9      /media/doc   reiser4      defaults,noatime,users 0 0

```

P.S: yes i have reiser4fs , i tried with and without a patched kernel

my rc-update -s

```
alsasound | background                               

            bootmisc |            boot                         

             checkfs |            boot                         

           checkroot |            boot                         

               clock |            boot                         

         consolefont |            boot                         

                dbus | background                               

            hostname |            boot                         

             keymaps |            boot                         

         laptop_mode | background                               

          localmount |            boot                         

             modules |            boot                         

             runlvla |                 default                 

           syslog-ng | background                               

      udev-postmount |            boot default                 

             urandom | background                               

            wireless | background             

```

Any help will be pleasedLast edited by erebe on Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:35 am; edited 1 time in total

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## desultory

Have you tried actually running e2fsck on that partition?

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## bbgermany

Hi,

whats your udev version? I had a little issue similiar to yours with udev-151-r1.

bb

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## erebe

Problem solved.

I unmerged all my kernels and removed every directories in /usr/src/ to start from zero.

i also deleted my compiled kernels in /boot/.

So i made a new kernel and it's fine now.

The problem seem to be due to this option 

```
Enable the block layer

              -----> Support for large (2TB+) block devices and files
```

In the option's help we can read 

```
[...]

The ext4 filesystem requires that this features be enabled in order to support filesystems that have the huge_file feature enabled.

Otherwise, it will refuse to mount in the read-write mode any filesystems that use the huge_file feature, which is enabled by default by mke2fs.ext4

[...]
```

My kernel 2.6.30 doesn't have this option and work well but now with recent one i have to check it.

To answer to you both my udev version is 149, the stable one and e2fsck won't run because the partition was mounted.

Thanks guys

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## l4nce

Hello, It's my first post and I want to thank You for this solution, I've had same problem after first kernel compilation. Thanks to You my gentoo on ext4 works.

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