ext3 corrupt, will not boot.

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I was working through some issues trying to set up my system so that the GRUB was not on the MBR. In the process I might have messed something up!

Initial problem: I open Yast and then put in the password. Next click system and then Boot Loader, Kernel Settings, or System Backup and the machine freezes. It also froze when going into Security and Users and clicking on Local Security. It did not freeze when going into Hardware>Mouse Model.

Then I did:

sudo e2fsck /dev/sda3
sudo e2fsck /dev/sda4

With these results:

linux-zr3q:/home/philip # e2fsck /dev/sda3
e2fsck 1.41.1 (01-Sep-2008)
/dev/sda3 is mounted.

WARNING!!!  Running e2fsck on a mounted filesystem may cause
SEVERE filesystem damage.

Do you really want to continue (y/n)? yes

/dev/sda3: recovering journal
Clearing orphaned inode 361001 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360999 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360998 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360997 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 33476 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0100600, size=24600)
Clearing orphaned inode 360995 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360994 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360990 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360988 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360964 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360956 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 360954 (uid=1000, gid=100, mode=0140755, size=0)
Clearing orphaned inode 50143 (uid=0, gid=0, mode=0100600, size=217016)
/dev/sda3: clean, 194682/655360 files, 1220152/2620603 blocks
linux-zr3q:/home/philip # e2fsck /dev/sda4
e2fsck 1.41.1 (01-Sep-2008)
/dev/sda4 is mounted.

WARNING!!!  Running e2fsck on a mounted filesystem may cause
SEVERE filesystem damage.

Do you really want to continue (y/n)? yes

/dev/sda4: recovering journal
/dev/sda4: clean, 4995/7798784 files, 5891266/31164091 blocks

After running those commands, now the system will not restart. It only comes to a point with this information:

fsck failed. Please repair manually and reboot. To root file system is currently mounted read-only. To remount it read-write do the following:

bash# mount -n -o remount, rw /

Attention: Only control-D will reboot the system in this maintenance mode, shutdown, or reboot will not work.

Give root password for login: (typed in)
(repair filesytem) #

I tried typing in the comman bash#… exactly as written but it said that the bash# command could not be found.

So I ran the repair from the DVD. When I ran the automatic repair these are the errors that I got:

/dev/sda3 corrupt
After trying to repair it these were the results:
-Inodes that were part of a corrupted orphan linked list found
-UNEXPEXTED INCONSISTENCY RUN fsck manually.(I.E. without -a or -p options)

/dev/sda4 corrupt
It was repaired successfully

fstab entry was replaced

A few of the packages were repaired

boot loader was repaired

At the very end when it tried to restart the system I got the red window saying that “error occured during the installation”

End result, the GRUB no longer has the windows boot option and when booting it ends up at the same place that I stated in the earlier

Next I got the advice from someone helping me throughout the process: The Repair system is telling you to manually repair sda3. Boot from the DVD into Rescue, login as root, and do:

e2fsck -f /dev/sda3

So I tried, and…
After typeing root in it says:

e2fsck: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/sda2

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2 filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains am ext2 filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:

e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

Unfortunately I have am now stuck and cannot start the computer. Some help would be MUCH appreciated!! Thanks!!!:slight_smile:

2

You should never run a repair on a r/w mounted filesystem. You were warned, but you ignored the warning. The correct way is to run e2fsck while it’s unmounted, either by booting single user, whereupon it will stop before mounting the partitions and give you a CLI; or by using the repair system.

That last error, are you sure you didn’t mistype sda2 when you meant sda3? Your error message doesn’t match up with the command you entered.

3

I definitely should have caught that. I guess that is what staying up too late and trying to fix a computer gets you coming home from the bar. So I should not say yes to that warning. Point very much taken. I did enter the wrong code, so user error there. I can now login to Linux just fine. Now I am just left with two issue:

It is still freezing when trying to use Yast. I open Yast and then put in the password. Next click system and then Boot Loader, Kernel Settings, or System Backup and the machine freezes. It also froze when going into Security and Users and clicking on Local Security. It did not freeze when going into Hardware>Mouse Model.

Also there is no windows boot option. Can I just use the windows cd for recovery?

Thanks for the help!

4

No, if you use the Windows CD to reinstall the bootloader, you will lose the boot info for Linux. Windows doesn’t recognise GRUB menus.

What you have to do is run the YaST bootloader setup and it ought to detect a Windows OS on another partition and propose an additional GRUB entry for it. If not start a new thread and I’m sure someone (else) will point you in the right direction.

Unfortunately if you can’t get YaST running, you have to fix that first.

5

Thanks for the info! I will get started on a new thread :slight_smile:

6

Hi. I cannot help you with your yast failure, but about booting windows and linux, you could give an external boot manager like gag a try. I always rely on that when preparing my multiboot environments. If you are interested, google gag, download it and burn the iso on a cd, then reboot. You will be guided in a very simple setup to add operating systems in it’s boot menu.