booting up problem [solved]

[netaku]

I just rebooted my laptop and when gentoo was "checking all filesystems..." I received the following error:

fsck.ext2: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/BOOT
/dev/BOOT:
The superbock could not be read or does not describe a correct dxt2 filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2 filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock is corrupt, and you ight try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
e2fsck -b 8139 (device)

*Fsck could not correct all errors, manual repair needed [!!]

Give root password for maintenance
(or type Control-D for normal startup):


I chose to type my root password, and I now that the following prompt: bash-2.05b#

I am not sure what to do next, especially since the prompt is not my normal prompt.
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Valar Morghulis

[geniux]

Enter the root password.
Open your /etc/fstab and post the content of it here. Seems like it's not properly configured.
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AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ AM2
MSI K9N SLI Platinum, Enermax Liberty 500W
1GB RAM Crucial DDR2 667MHz, MSI nVidia 7600GS 256MB
400GB + 250GB Samsung SATAII HDD
Gentoo - BeyondSources 2.6.19-20

[netaku]

My computer was booting properly, so I am not sure what change I made messed it up, but here is fstab:

/dev/BOOT /boot ext2 noauto, noatime $
/dev/ROOT / xfs noatime $
/dev/SWAP none swap sw $
/dev/cdroms/cdrom0 /mnt/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro $
none /dev/shm tmpfs defaults $

What I do not understand is that now that I look at the file, it is not at all like I made it during the install process. I am dual booting with windows for one thing (in the first partition), and there are various other changes.

Is it possible that I have another fstab? If this fstab is so different from the one I made before, shouldn't it keep my computer from booting at all?
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Valar Morghulis

[geniux]

Hmm, you havent done a emerge -u world or something like that recently?
Anyway change the fstab so it match the one you made the first time during the install.
_________________
AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ AM2
MSI K9N SLI Platinum, Enermax Liberty 500W
1GB RAM Crucial DDR2 667MHz, MSI nVidia 7600GS 256MB
400GB + 250GB Samsung SATAII HDD
Gentoo - BeyondSources 2.6.19-20

[netaku]

Actually, I did do an emerge --emptytree world and an emerge --update --upgradeonly deep world. Would those have changed fstab? And also, does changing fstab only affect linux as opposed to changing grub which would affect linux and windows? And thanks for the help.
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Valar Morghulis

[geniux]

After you emerge --emptytree world and emerge --update --upgradeonly deep world, did you update your .config files with etc-update and made that update by choosing the alternative -5?
If so, some of your files in /etc probably where overwritten with cfg_0000 or something like that.
You should check out your /etc/groups, to see if your user still are in the groups you selected, like wheel,audio etc. And your /etc/rc.conf to see that your time-, keyboard settings etc. are as they should be.
If not just change everything to it's proper settings.
Hope you'll understand something of what I wrote .
hope it will work out.
_________________
AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ AM2
MSI K9N SLI Platinum, Enermax Liberty 500W
1GB RAM Crucial DDR2 667MHz, MSI nVidia 7600GS 256MB
400GB + 250GB Samsung SATAII HDD
Gentoo - BeyondSources 2.6.19-20

[grooveman]

Yes, your /etc/fstab is very borked.

That is an example fstab. You need to substitue "BOOT" and "SWAP" etc. with the actual partitions in question.

Be very careful with the "-5" option on your etc-update! I have seen a lot of people hose their systems with it, myself included (early on). The "-5" used the example fstab and wrote over your working fstab. Now that fstab is effectively irretreivable. You will need to make a new one.

Especially when emerging gentoobase, do not -5.

If you can't remember what partition was what, use fdisk or cfdisk to try to help you remember (you can usually tell just by looking at the size of the partitions).

You can also use tune2fs to label each disk, and mount it with that label, so you could label your / drive "/", your boot drive "BOOT", etc. so if this happens again, it won't cause you as much trouble... but that is up to you...

G
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To look without without looking within is like looking without without looking at all.

[netaku]

All right, since I have installed and reinstalled gentoo about a billion times while trying to get it working, I knew exactly what fdisk should look like. It now boots. I also changed my rc.conf and my ~/.xinitrc files.

There are two problems that I am not sure how to fix though. How do I add wheel,audio back to my user and also su capabilities to that user. Secondly, is it possible to get fluxbox back to the way it was, with the customizations that I had made? It is not a total loss if they are gone, but I am more asking in case I do this again.

Lastly, how do I know which files to merge together using the -5 option after emerge --emptytree world? I basically want to know if there are any tricks to keep me from making this mistake again.
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Valar Morghulis

[geniux]

To get wheel, audio back:
/etc/group
add your user name to wheel,audio etc.
Like this:

[netaku]

I actually did a -3 now that I think about it, and I think I have reversed all of the changed that I made before. When modifying the /etc/group file, what would adding my user name to all of the other drives and such do? For instance, would I want to add my user name to the floppy and cdrom lines in addition to wheel and audio? Does adding your user name to those lines give them access to the cdrom and floppy drives?
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Valar Morghulis

[geniux]

Well for instance if you are'nt in the games group, you wont be able to play any of the games that you can emerge. Some apps requires groups sometimes, and you must be in that particular group to use the program.
I thougt it would give me access, but no, I had to change it manually. But you can try, maybe it's a bug I have, I dont know. Have'nt learned everything about the group settings yet.

_________________
AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ AM2
MSI K9N SLI Platinum, Enermax Liberty 500W
1GB RAM Crucial DDR2 667MHz, MSI nVidia 7600GS 256MB
400GB + 250GB Samsung SATAII HDD
Gentoo - BeyondSources 2.6.19-20

[xentric]

[netaku]

Well, it just happens that I learn best by experimenting and goofing around. Thank a lot for all the help you have given me today, all three or four times.
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Valar Morghulis