GRUB does not find Kernel !!!

Anquietas · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 83

Alright.. what the hell is going on with the 2008 Release ?
I've downloaded the new 2008 release in the hope that I can have a wonderfull Linux Distro.

Dissapointment:

I have no argument for installing automatically the kernel from LiveCD, vixie-crond, syslog-ng and GRUB without asking... they would have been my choices also... BUT,...

GRUB has a very big problem ! After it emerges from the LiveCD, it exists with fatal error saying something like:

"Error . Grub Cannot find Kernel List in /boot" or something like this, and it dies.

I've tried both the Graphicall Installer and the Text-Based installler... it's a simple, classic instalation that anyone would do...

I am dissapointed that the 2008 release is not tested carefully for these kind of errors. I did not put anything exotic in the installation, only basic options like the average man...

A basic problem like GRUB which "cannot read kernel list from /boot" in my opinion is a big problem that I frankly don't know how it was missed ...

xlillo · n00b Joined: 26 Dec 2005 Posts: 16 Location: Prato - Italy

I have this problem too.
I use the Livecd 64 bit.
Give me this error both in gui and text installer.
Now I'm trying in vmware, maybe is my hardware problem.

Edit: Same error in Vmware.
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Il mio colore preferito era il blu.
Fino a quando non ho installato Windows...

PITABoy · n00b Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 14

I too am having this problem. I am now trying to install on another hard drive.

Julian Tifflor · n00b Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 1

And here is another one ...

First try with Gentoo ... :cry:

PITABoy · n00b Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 14

that really sucks that this was your first try. Gentoo usually rocks (once you get it installed)

Anquietas · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 83

yea... I am really bothered by the fact that NO ONE from Development or Testing has tested the Live CD PROPERLY... nobody saw that in real normal installation, GRUB hangs because the Kernel is not copied exactly from the LiveCD...

I was able to do some digging... it took me a few hours that I could've spent doing something else .. but that's not the point now:

I believe that the LiveCD is not copying the Initramfs and the kernel-* files to /boot. The only file I have in /boot is the System Mapper or something like this.

When the installer tries to install grub, grub is trying to list the contents of /boot for a "kernel-*" pattern.. but it does not find one.

The fault is not with grub, rather it's with the script that the LiveCD is using to copy the kernel, initramfs, and modules from the LiveCD to /mnt/gentoo .

And this is not the only error, but others are irrelevant, they are not life threatning.. but this one is !

Please exscuze my melodrama but... I didn't think I would expect this kind of problem in a new, revised 2008 late-released edition...

PITABoy · n00b Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 14

did you file a bug?

foura · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I had this same problem, BUT I was able to get the system working after a bit of work. The system looks for a file starting with "kernel" in (/mnt/gentoo)/boot, but no such file exists. Even if you compile a kernel, the installer fails, but this time it's because it's looking for a file starting with "init". After creating that, the installer still fails and I gave up debugging.

I "fixed" the problem by manually emerging gentoo-sources and compiling a new kernel and configuring grub by hand. After a reboot, I've been in a functioning system. I'm not sure if there's anything really important that's supposed to happen after the installer configures grub, but I emerged all 200-odd packages of xfce4 without too many problems so I figure the system is working properly.

Of course, I managed to promptly break my system by installing the ati catalyst drivers, but I suppose that belongs in another thread.

Anquietas · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 83

in this case... I've might just been starting the installer from Scratch, using a Minimal CD...
If I must do all the dirty work.. then I do it from Minimal ...

Too bad though, the installer was very promising tool, but, again, nobody paid attention to build it without serious flaws.

It's useless to file a bug now, because the Release is already done, I don't suppose they're gonna release 2008.01 only for my bug.... and the 2008.1 version.... well let's just say I don't know when the hell it will be released... with all the big release delays that the 2008 suffered...

so I'm left with only one choice: Minimal CD and Manual Dirty Work ... partitioning.. staging...formatting... etc...

shazam75 · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:17 am Post subject:

Guys

Please post the EXACT error message - write it down and then type it here - thanks
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trekaton · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 1

bartonexdu · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I face the same problem.

Kernel and initrd did not generate by installer, because /usr/src/linux did not contains kernel-sources.

I google " gentoo how to lightning install from livecd", find a tutorial from gentoo wiki.

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Lightning_fast_install_from_LiveCD

With this method, installer is unuseless, the procedure relies on manual operation.
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:LOL:

garfungiloops · n00b Joined: 29 Oct 2005 Posts: 44

Yes, the same here. With exactly the same error message.

It's disappointing that they don't care too much about the users,
as was mentioned already by Mr. Daniel Robbins :-(

Anquietas · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 83

yea, and that's not all... the god-damned genkernel or what the hell is preventing me from booting into the system.

Block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device .

I've installed ALL the SCSI drivers from the Kernel as Built-Ins not as Modules... no result...

I'm starting to get tired and sick of 2008 distro.. just errors, only errors, nothing good !!

I've tried the graphical and text installer, error, now I've tried the minimal-cd.. error... I'm getting sick

In adition, I ran genkernel --menuconfig --bootloader=grub ... I wanted genkernel to autoconfigure my grub.conf... instead it backed up the old one, and wrote NULL in the new one... my new grub.conf has 0 bytes of data.... I manually had to configure grub....

How many more errors are there in what is supposed to be a FINAL REVIED release.... I did't have problems with other Linux Distros and I think I'll migrate back....

Gentoo 2008 is impossible to operate... my patience has a limit...

cyrillic · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject:

sham · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:50 pm Post subject:

Hello,
refer to bug 230998 (https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=230998) in bugzilla the problem is solved with the r1 release, get it here http://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/mirrors/gentoo/releases/x86/2008.0/livecd/livecd-i686-installer-2008.0-r1.iso

celinedrules · n00b Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 1

Anybody get this version to work?

sham · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:46 pm Post subject:

Anquietas · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 83

ok, it seems the problem is now resolved.

You released a new version that I've not tested, but I'm sure it works now (it copies the kernel to /boot).

I also want to apologize if I were a little critical...

Anyway, I'm glad that the problems are finally over.

Once gentoo is installed, the rest is piece of cake, I have a 5 year linux experience

Sorry again for my outburst, it was not ment to be this aggressive. I still consider Gentoo a wonder (if you know how to install it , which I managed

)

Please lock this topic if there are no other posts/objections, I consider this matter closed, and I finally say:

Thank you for releasing Gentoo, I find it very powerfull

linuxxp · n00b Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 1

Most of what happens is covered in this thread. However i will add a note or two.

I have the same problem(s) and after having DL the live install CD three times it was becoming tedious.

Add to the problem from auto, semi-auto, manual terminal, and minimal means of installing i could not use the EMERGE command. Every single time i tried to manually emerge grub it would demand my "super user" name and password.

This would be rather difficult considering that the install hasn't even gotten that far along yet.

2007 gentoo works fine. However if this R1 revision of 2k8 does not work i'm dropping gentoo.

Thanks.

P.S. it should be noted that if a person does not know or uses the automated install they will not see the copy error message and won't be able to find this thread.

There is too little search engine scan details in the topic

Anquietas · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 83

try using the Minimal CD, it is WAY WAY better than the LiveCD..

When I realised that the first release of 2008.0 had problems with the LiveCD, I turned to the Minimal CD and installed gentoo as minimal.

Now, I can not even begin to think another way of installation except the Minimal CD.

You are in perfect control if you are not afraid of the Command Prompt

P.S. a few weeks ago I've installed gentoo on a clean harddrive from a fedora box ... if you know what you are doing, there is no problem with the installation procedure

cyrillic · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:00 am Post subject: