Locked up in boot process.

[Gene Heskett]

On Sunday 02 August 2009, Steven Vollom wrote:
>On Sunday 02 August 2009 02:39:11 am Gene Heskett wrote:
>> On Saturday 01 August 2009, Steven Vollom wrote:
>> >Trim
>> >
>> >> If that is all you can see in /boot, Steven, then that install seems to
>> >> be hosed as grub itself was never installed.  I'd do it again, from a
>> >> cold powerup with the install disk in the optical drive.  Note that
>> >> forward slash though, just 'boot' instead of '/boot' might be getting
>> >> you the wrong directory somehow made during a broken install.
>> >
>> >I am not sure I understand what you are saying here.  My computer has
>> > been working fine for over a month.  Minor glitches have appeared just
>> > after an upgrade, but even then everything has been problem free, as far
>> > as I am concerned.
>> >
>> >See for yourself:
>> >
>> >ubuntu at ubuntu:~$ /boot/grub/menu.lst
>> >bash: /boot/grub/menu.lst: No such file or directory
>> >ubuntu at ubuntu:~$
>> >
>> >ubuntu at ubuntu:~$ /boot/grub
>> >bash: /boot/grub: No such file or directory
>> >ubuntu at ubuntu:~$
>>
>> Neither of those are executable files or directories Steven, so in order
>> to see what they are, you need to use a viewer of some kind.  Some like
>> 'more' and some, like me, use 'less' cuz less is actually more than more.
>>
>> So the first command line above should be something like:
>> ubuntu at ubuntu:~$ less /boot/grub/menu.lst
>
>ubuntu at ubuntu:~$ less /boot/grub/menu.lst
>
>/boot/grub/menu.lst: No such file or directory

Since I _now_ know you are booting to a livecd, that is to be expected.

>ubuntu at ubuntu:~$
>ubuntu at ubuntu:~$
>
>Trim
>
>> >In the month that preceded this crash, I had to reinstall about 20 times.
>>
>> That's unreal.  Either you have some really funkity hardware, or what, I
>> don't know.
>
>I do have a hardware problem.  My motherboard is an ASUS M3N-HT Mempipe.

Mine is an ASUS M2N SLI Deluxe, AMD 9550 Phenom and 4GB ram.

>My
>computer is an AMD Quad 9600 with 8gb ram.  Returning from the bathroom one
>day, I found the computer off and saw that a clock was blinking.  I don't
> know what happened, but some kind of power problem must have occurred. 
> When I attempted to boot the computer, it would not boot.  I couldn't
> afford to take it to a shop, so it sat for about 2 months while I got the
> funds to proceed.

Ouch.

>I had made several posts with the list but the solution was not found.  On a
>fluke, I tried a Live CD, one day, and found that the system booted.  I
> still had a problem, but I found that I could operate on 1 stick of ram
> instead of the 4 that I normally ran.  I found that the outer two memory
> slots had a defect.  I removed 2 sticks of memory and it works great again,
> until this current problem

I recall that you could not get the dealer to warranty it, but it sure should 
have been.

>> I can't see even a rank novice needing to do that that many times.
>> However, when I suggested that someone may be available locally, who can
>> help you learn what needs to be done, you went silent, like you didn't
>> even get the message.
>
>It happened because the efforts to find the problem which ended up being a
>memory problem caused many conflict errors that eventually cause the need
> for reinstall.  I don't blame anyone, it was just trying stuff that didn't
> work also caused new problems.  I am really lost without a computer, so
> many times I reinstalled just to have a working box.  Several times it was
> suggested I reinstall, several times I just needed to have a working box
> and reinstalled before finding the problem.

Is the bios the latest one for that board?  Some of their earlier versions for 
mine were a minesweeper that was finding mines with its hull...

>I have been working this problem for a couple of days now.  Soon I will
>probably reinstall.  I don't seem to be finding a resolution.  I am asked to
> do similar tests from different people.  I do them, but I know the answer. 
> Each time I do it, I have to boot to a live CD when it doesn't work and
> reconfigure kmail and lose the emails that cannot be saved to the regular
> drive.

Which also sucks.

>Today, I copied this days emails to a word document and saved them to a
> thumb drive, so I will have my record after I boot next time.
>
>> Someone locally will need to learn your address & phone number.  That's a
>> given.  I wouldn't post it here, but if someone is interested enough to
>> email you privately, start with your phone number so they might get to
>> know you, and then decide if you want to share your address for a get
>> together.
>
>I have tried in the past without success.  When you made the suggestion, I
>spent a couple of days trying to find a Linux group near enough to my place
> for me to get there.  They did not even answer the emails of inquiry I
> sent, so I suspect they are not around anymore.

Humm.  I'm sure there are some, but the available info can be badly outdated.

>> I am not local to you by several hundred miles if I have read between the
>> lines correctly, or I would take a stab at it.  I'm several hours east of
>> you in WV, & looking at my 75th on down the calendar a couple of pages. 
>> An hours drive, yes, but not 7+.
>>
>> Please, do not let your paranoia about strangers keep you from taking
>> advantage of any local help that may be offered.
>
>I would just love a local collaborator.  I would treat them special and make
>them want to work together.  I am very grateful for this list.  It has made
> me very competent in certain of the daily tasks when using Linux.  I am not
> so much in the blind.  In fact my experience in certain areas leads people
> to believe I should also be competent in areas I have not yet learned the
> tasks. It is coming slowly, but for an instance.  I can install, update and
> configure mail in 14 minutes in Jaunty.  I have had to do it so many times,
> there is hardly a break in the process.  And everything always works good
> after an install.  I even have made shortcuts in the process in certain
> configuration steps.  Then when I install the kubuntu restricted extras, it
> slows, but only because the computer can only work so fast.  All
> intermediate steps  take place without even thought about the process. 
> When I click tab, enter, left arrow enter to accept Sun's conditions, I am
> typing about as fast as when sending an email.
>
>The limited experience I have using the command line is with such confidence
>that I type at my fastest pace and trust the lack of errors.  Computing is
>really getting fun.  But now that I have a bit of experience, and am not as
>limited as I was in the past, it seems like people don't really consider my
>statements some times.  I must have answered the same people several times
>getting them convinced I really don't have a grub folder or menu.lst when I
>operate using the Live CD. Personally, how ever that became lost, I believe
> it is what is wrong, but I don't know how to put it back in the boot.  I
> suspect I will after solving this problem.  I hope someone recognizes the
> solution soon, I really need a computer working properly.  Later tonight, I
> am going to wipe the drives of an old P4 that I have and install Karmic.  i
> realize I will probably have problems with karamic too, but it will
> probably work while this one is being fixed.  I just don't want to keep
> reinstalling to solve my problems, I loose the knowledge that may come from
> finishing the repair.

You also mentioned in the previous msg I replied to, that you were running 
ext4.   I'm on the kernel list, and ext4 is still considered as beta at best, 
reliable ATM only for use against an ext3 formatted disk with _no_ ext4 fancy 
options enabled.  I use it here on one disk only, the 1TB I use with amanda as 
a set of 30 virtual tapes.  I've found that to be about as reliable as a far 
more expensive tape setup.

I use ext3 with journalling enabled on the other 1.9TB of drives in this 
machine.

>You are 9 years older than me.  I wish I had your knowledge.

Thanks, but as a linux guru, I'd probably fail the test on about the 3rd 
question.  But I have made my living chasing electrons for the last 60 of my 
74 years, doing it on an 8th grade education and a love of reading.  I retired 
in the middle of 2002 from the tv station I had been keeping on the air since 
1984, often single handedly until there just wasn't enough of me to go around.

>> >> >> 6. press 'Esc'
>> >> >> 6. press 'b'
>
>If I don't have grub or menu.lst in my system, how can I continue to that
>point.  I don't understand.
>
>> >> >> This is also explained on screen.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Let the list know how it goes :-)
>> >> >>
>> >> >>     -Frans

All this was recommended before the recommenders, including me, understood 
that you were operating from the livecd, which makes much of that advice 
bogus.  Sorry.  But it demo's that information such as that, does make a 
difference.

>> >> The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up
>> >> in the morning, and does not stop until you get to work.
>
>That is a funny statement.  I like it.

That, if mine, comes from a program called 'fortune', which I have generating 
a new tail for my sig every 5 minutes, rain or shine. :)

>Thanks for the ongoing help.
>
>Steven


-- 
Cheers, Gene
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