[CALUG] Linux won't boot anymore.

[Rajiv Gunja]

Dean,
I do not know why you are sticking with RH 7.2, but anyway, the problem is
with grub/lilo version you might be using. I had a similar issue with RHEL
2.1AS, which I think is based on RH 7.2 or 7.3. I found it the hard way, had
IBM analyse the issue for 2 days, before they came up with a bug number for
the grub version I was running. This happened over 1.5 years ago, so dont
ask me for version details.

Boot your system from CD-ROM, via RH rescue CD or via a boot floppy and
install the latest grub on to your system. In my case I went with grub 0.93,
but you can go with 0.97.

Once you have installed grub, install the boot loader on to the MBR.
Hope this helps.

-GGR

-- 

Rajiv G Gunja
System Analyst / Engg
SUN / AIX / HPUX / Linux Admin
IM: AOL / Yahoo / MSN : ggvrsn
Skype: rajiv_gunja


On 9/25/06, Wendel Dean Renner <WendelDRenner at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> I have hard drives in drawers.    Windows XP on one and RedHat Linux 7.2
> on the other which
> I have been using for four years now.
> One day not too long ago the Linux drive would not boot with the message:
> "Error 28:  Selected Item cannot fit into memory."
>
> I figured maybe the drive was gone and so I bought a new one.   I ran
> through the installiation
> of Linux without error until it was all done and said to reboot.   It
> failed with the same
> error message.  Subsequent attempts to rerun the installer on the same
> new drive
> results in the installer crashing with a screen full of error messges.
>
> Attempting to boot either the new or old drive with the Linux boot disk
> results
> in the error:
>
> Kernel panic:   No init found.   Try passing init = option to kernel.
>
> I then installed Windows XP on the new drive, formating the drive into a
> C and D partition and
> put Windows XP on the C partition.  It boots and runs fine.   I
> attempted to install Linux (again)
> on the D partition but ran into the problem of the only choice for
> automatic partitioning was on
> free space on the drive.  (the instruction manual said to make a D drive).
> I could not get rid of the D partition within the installer.   I otherwise
> had no idea what partitions I should make or how big to make them (/ and
> /boot?).
> Upon subsequent attempts to install Linux, the installer now crashes as
> before.  Same with the Linux boot disk.
>
> Anyone have any ideas or where I should go or know a consultant I can
> consult?
> I am wondering if it is possible to have a hardware problem with the
> computer itself
> that does not bother Windows XP.  I also tried the above harddrive by
> passing the drawer
> system but not have tried it yet on another computer.
>
> Wendel Dean Renner,
> Columbia, Maryland
> WendelDRenner at comcast.net
>
>
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