kernel panic - not syncing: attempted to kill init! - under ubuntu 12.04 64 bits desktop OS

[Nils Kassube]

Qiubo Su (David Su) wrote:
> the OS of my PC (supports 64 bits instruction) is ubuntu 12.04 32
> bits desktop before, and i have just recently reinstalled it to
> ubuntu 12.04 *64*bits desktop.
> 
> before the re-installation, I created new partitions for /boot and
> /home and copy the /boot and /home folders in the 32 bits desktop OS
> (in the previous 32 bit desktop OS, the /, /boot, /home etc folders
> are all under the same partition, i.e. under the / partition) across
> to the /boot and /home partitions. so in the new 64 bits desktop OS,
> the /boot and /home are in its own partition, but keep the /boot
> config files and /home data & applications in the previous 32 bits
> desktop OS. moreover

> the
> reboot to the new OS is fine as well, but in the new 64 bits desktop
> OS after reinstall the previous applications, particularly the wine
> application (for Windows), and then reboot the PC, select "Ubuntu
> with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic-pae" from the boot loader, the system
> hangs forever. if select the "Ubuntu with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic-pae
> (recovery)" from the boot loader, got below "kernel panic" error:
> ......
> request_module: runaway loop modprobe binfmt-464c
> kernel panic - not syncing: attempted to kill init !
> Pid: 1, comm: run-init Not tainted 3.2.0-32-generic-pae #51-Ubuntu
> Call Trace:
> ......
> 
> the options from the boot loader are as below:
> 
> Ubuntu with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic-pae
> Ubuntu with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic-pae (recovery)
> Previous Linux versions
>  - Ubuntu with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic
>  - Ubuntu with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic (recovery)
> 
> however, if boot from the "Ubuntu with Linux 3.2.0-32-generic" under
> the "Previous Linux versions", it is fine

The generic-pae is a 32 bit kernel and the rest of your system is 64 bit 
now. Therefore I think that you can't use the generic-pae kernel any 
longer. I would suggest that you remove the generic-pae kernel from the 
system because otherwise you will always find it again in the grub menu. 
If you can't find with your package manager, delete the files 
*-generic-pae from the /boot directory and run the command

sudo update-grub

to get a grub menu with only the generic kernel. If you use the package 
manager to remove the generic-pae kernel, that command is not needed.


Nils