[solved]2nd install attempt; GRUB still failing...

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

As the title states, this is my second attempt at a Gentoo install (only via MS virtual PC thus far) and I have encountered the same obstacle as I did during my first install. I am not entirely a newcomer to Linux (used Arch prior to this), and was able to follow the install guide quite capably up till the final step involving the setting up of a boot-loader.

Unfortunately Virtual PC does not seem to want to let me copy and paste from its window, so I will have to illustrate what I see through pictures (my apologies for this).

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9849/gentoo1.png
-> Here is what I see within GRUB.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3122/gentoo2.png
-> This is what I see when I try to boot.

Please inform me of any other information which I ought to provide; I am still very much so a student of the whole Linux 'procedure'.
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EatMeerkats · Apprentice Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 234

It looks like you've used hda3, when your drive is coming up as sda3. If I remember correctly, even PATA drives now appear as sda. You can either boot from a CD, mount your filesystems following the Gentoo Handbook directions, and edit /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/grub.conf to reflect this, or restart the install, being careful to use sda instead of hda (overkill, since you probably have a perfectly fine install minus this error).

DONAHUE · Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 5:44 am Post subject:

change

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

I went ahead and booted from the CD again, then mounted the partitions:

Gankfest · Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:38 am Post subject:

You know when I started out in Gentoo like forever ago, I had to reinstall 3 times and it took me about 3-4 weeks. I've never used virtual PC to install Gentoo, but how would it read the partitions that aren't there when you reboot. It just seems that way, but I could be wrong. Why not just install it for real. But anyway fstab and your file-system /.config from your hard-drive might show the true problem, but like I said I don't know to much about virtual pc installs, but that would be your contributing factor in a real install. The grub.conf should be good since it wouldn't even boot to the kernel at all if it wasn't.
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DONAHUE · Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:59 am Post subject:

boot cd

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

DONAHUE · Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 6:56 pm Post subject:

CONFIG_XFS_FS=m says you configured support for the root file system as a module. You need to configure the root file system as a builtin or have an initrd/initramfs that will load the xfs support module so the kernel can use it to load root.
hda naming is a result of using legacy drivers instead of the current libata drivers for the hard drive controller(s)
if the cd is using hda it is an older one or a current gentoo minimal cd that is not current for some controllers
if the installed system is using hda the kernel configuration you selected (or inherited) is using the older drivers.
if you want help getting the install to use the current drivers, boot the cd, mount the gentoo partitions, run:

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

DONAHUE · Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 2:17 am Post subject:

boot cd and mount gentoo partitions and enter chroot
for nominal partitioning:

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

This is slightly embarrassing, but I hit a different (and probably quite simple) road block trying to reconfigure the kernel.

I was going to attempt to explain what happened, but I think I picture will do a much better job. This was right after I had configured the kernel as per your suggestions.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/1713/gentoo4.png

I recall this being really the only issue I encountered the last two install attempts, but for the life of me I can't remember what I did to fix it. It clearly says bzImage exists in that directory, so why can't cp find it?
_________________
~In a society that has abolished all adventure the only adventure left is to abolish that society.~

tgR10 · Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 3:34 am Post subject:

you just made a very common mistake for beginers :)

cp arch/*** not /arch/**** or with the full path fe. cp /usr/src/linux/arch/***

i prefer to use

DONAHUE · Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 3:35 am Post subject:

if in chroot and at /usr/src/linux, no / in front of arch; this uses relative file path; command: arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel name>
if anywhere in chroot, the absolute file path is /usr/src/linux/arch/x86/boot/bzImage, command: /usr/src/linux/arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel name>
if cd booted and gentoo partitions mounted, not in chroot, the absolute file path is /mnt/gentoo/usr/src/linux/arch/x86/boot/bzImage, command: /mnt/gentoo/usr/src/linux/arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/<your kernel name>

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

This sure is a fantastic forum; both a helpful response and an explanation within minutes of me posting my quandary (would have not gone to bed had I known it'd be so quick!).

I have some progress to report.

-Removing the '/' from /arch did just the trick, subconsciously I always just put the '/' there for completion, but now I see why it matters.
-Having crossed that bridge, I then followed through on the rest of your other post DONAHUE. Updated the kernel as you advised, and went ahead to reboot. This actually seemed to work (booted into Gentoo fine) but I'm not sure that it worked completely, perhaps someone will be able to better tell what happened from this image.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2378/gentoofile.png

This is the only real error that comes up during the boot.

Is it an issue that I can still only mount the filesystems (hda1 and hda3, when I try sda it simply states that it does not exist) as just that, hda and not sda? In my fstab I changed all the "hda's" to sda, and the same in my grub.conf (root=/dev/sda3).

I thought this might be conflicting, so I went and changed them back to hda, but then Gentoo doesn't boot at all so clearly these files must remain as sda and not hda (again, why can I only mount hda then?).

Either way, is something actually wrong with the boot process?
_________________
~In a society that has abolished all adventure the only adventure left is to abolish that society.~

DONAHUE · Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 11:38 pm Post subject:

The cd has a kernel that uses the legacy drivers that call your hard drive hda.
Your shiny new install has a kernel that uses the up to date, faster, more powerful libata driver that calls your hard drive sda.

To simply eliminate the error message comment the line in /etc/fstab that has /boot.
To get the ability to mount the /boot partition(recommend this):

HouseAtreides · n00b Joined: 29 Apr 2010 Posts: 58 Location: NH

DONAHUE, that seems to have done the trick

! I have (as far as I can tell) a fully functional Gentoo install.

I'll see what I can accomplish on my own to get myself on the way to a functioning desktop environment, expect to see another post from me in the near future.

Until then, I'll let this thread die- thank you to all who helped me out! I now have full confidence in going forward with the 'actual' install sometime soon on my primary machine.
_________________
~In a society that has abolished all adventure the only adventure left is to abolish that society.~