I’m running 10.2 because my system doesn’t meet the requirments for 10.3 or 11.
After installing a pc game using wine, and rebooting the system… it no longer boots. after the bios’s built in spash screen all I get is a blinking cursor. If I insert the installation disk, it gives me the following options:
Boot from Hard Disk (blinking cursor)
Installation
Installation – ACPI Disabled
Installation – Lacal APIC Disabled
Installation – Safe Settings
Rescue System (brings me to a rescue command prompt, which I have no idea how to use)
Firmware Test
Memory Test
What should I do here? I’d prefer an option that doesn’t mean I have to spend the next few days remembering all of the packages I have to install to make my system work again.
I tried running the automatic system repair option from the installation CD.
It gave me this error: fstab entires: could not find existing devices for the following fstab lines. To remove the lines from fstab, select them in the table and change the status.
all of the following are currently set to ignore instead, but the repair wont go any further.
When I hit cancel, the repair tried to finish. There was an error at the searching for minimum required packages line, and a failed message when it tried to install the missing package. The same grub error popped up when it tried to repair the boot loader. Repair tool finished, I tried to boot the system and, not to my surprise, got my handy dandy blinking cursor of nothing.
I tried the boot existing system option under other options on the installation disc. The system booted. I hit the escape key to watch what was happening, and I saw a lot of faileds popping up. It was going by too fast for me to really read any of them.
I immediately restarted the system, and it went straight back to the blinking cursor.
I’m too inexperienced. Somebody, ANYbody give me a hand. An idea? Or is this just a forgone effort and I need a clean install? That would be most irritating.
Try this. When Grub pops up (now it does,right?) press esc to go in a bash like console , then write : find /boot/grub/stage2 and press enter. Wait … When comes again it should write something like (hd0,1). Write now : setup (hd0,1) or wathever grub found. Reboot and hope
Excuse my last post was wrong. I correct. Perform the command find /boot/grub/stage2 now write root (hd0,1) then setup (hd0). Very sorry hope this helps
> I tried the boot existing system option … The system booted. I
> hit the escape key to watch what was happening, and I saw a lot of
> faileds popping up…I immediately restarted the system, and it went
> straight back to the blinking cursor.
by that “immediately” do you mean you interrupted the boot attempt by
(maybe) pressing the hardware power button…or ???
if so, i would FIRST go back and try that again and let it run until the
fails stopped poping up…see, it MAY need to do some automatic hard
drive repair work…and, you MAY then be ok maybe…
maybe not, but i would not jump to a clean install yet! in fact, i’m
kinda afraid the stuff you wrote in earlier posts like:
" my system doesn’t meet the requirments for 10.3"
“after the bios’s built in spash screen all I get is a blinking cursor.”
“Error 21: Selected disk does not exist”
“*fstab entires: could not find existing devices”
well, i’m kinda afraid it might mean you have a several year old
machine…and, your hard drive (which was born with a three year
warranty) is dead…
but don’t pull your hair out yet…because i’m not sure…
ANYONE know how to find out?? maybe boot from the install disk and WHAT??
–
DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark
I’d probably boot from a LiveCD with partition read utillities and see if the partitions are visible… before considering the drive might be dead.
Be careful to only <read> the partitions to gather essential info… what partitions exist, how they’re configured, what their designations are, what partition is bootable… DON’T write to the hard drive and partition table until you really know what is happening
> I’d probably boot from a LiveCD with partition read utillities and see
> if the partitions are visible… before considering the drive might be
> dead.
but, if you don’t consider it might be dead why would you boot a CD
with partition read utilities to check?
–
DenverD (Linux Counter 282315)
A Texan in Denmark
Use a DVD and go to Installation. I think you have two options on the install. Boot existing system is one. And another choice is repair system.
I would think either one would get your system to boot.
I’m not saying that the disk might or might not be bad, just that booting from a LiveCD will yield more and better information… First, you’re gathering information from within a working OS environment and Second that a special disk utility tool working from within a working OS is likely going to give you a more informative error.
1: I’m not sure what the “GRUB” screen is. When I say the bios splash screen. I mean the built in, ‘hey your motherboard works!’ screen. If I have the install disk in, then a second spash screen pops up. Is that GRUB?
2: By “immediately” I meant that I let it finish booting. It went right up to my desk top. I didn’t want to mess with anything for fear of dealing more damage before figuring out what went wrong, so I shut it down using the “shut down” option in the GUI.
3: It’s an ACER Aspire 3690, Bought December 2006. According to the specs on the OpenSUSE site, I fall just under the prefered specs because of my processor.
4: A live boot CD/DVD isn’t an option at the moment as my network at work doesn’t allow for downloads that are larger than your average picture or text doc. Very untrusting if you ask me. I could maybe find someone near by that might be able to help me, but that will take a few days at the least.
As my own update, I booted the system the same way I had before, but this time I tried to look around a little. I didn’t do much. I couldn’t even connect to the internet. Since I don’t have any real idea what I am doing, I thought it best to just shut it down again.
Would the “update” installation option work if I just used the 10.2 disk again?
If I do get a working live cd. What would I need to do to get you guys more accurate info on my system? Terminal commands I should run? That sort of thing.
If I insert the installation disk, it gives me the following options:
Boot from Hard Disk (blinking cursor)
Installation
Installation – ACPI Disabled
Installation – Lacal APIC Disabled
Go to Installation. I think you have two options on the install. Boot existing system is one. And another choice is repair system.
Try booting existing system. If that doesn’t work try repairing.
I tried both; one of my posts yesterday showed the results of the repair attempt, and the fstab errors that I got.
I can boot the system using the disk, but I don’t know what to do after I get it up and running. You know… like how to FIX it. So, I basically sit there looking at my desktop with a bunch of programs that won’t work properly, worrying that I may be causing more damage since I’m obviously NOT fixing any. If I reboot the system after that it just goes back to the blinking cursor.
YaST, system, bootloader, you’ll see an ‘other’ button on the selection screen on the bottom right. Click that and then select ‘propose new configuration’. Save and exit. Reboot.
Hopefully that will configure grub and get your boot loader back.
