I recently installed 11.1 via unetbootin from the network onto an old Sony VAIO laptop. After the installation completed, I suppose the OS started to boot, but I was presented with a black screen. I heard “chimes.” The black screen does not provide any visible feedback from mouse or keyboard input. I hard rebooted and was presented with an interesting background graphic (grayish, I think) that faded to the same black screen. How do I recover? Thank you.
Third boot presented a Startup Options menu. I had removed the USB stick. Chose the non-failsafe option. Same screens as before. (The aforementioned interesting background looks like metal plates with a grid overlay and which changes colors until fading to black.)
Fourth boot, this time with failsafe option, loaded the log-in menu. Logged in and the OS seems to load, but the video goes crazy (the equivalent of TV snow) and returns me to the log-in menu. Default session type.
Session types:
– Default: Result as above.
– KDE (failsafe session): Result as above, but tips display just before return to log-in menu.
– KDE4: Result as above.
– TWM: Displays blue screen with left-click menu.
– Failsafe: Displays console in window. (Newbie though, so I have no idea what to do at that point!)
– IceWM: Seems to work.
I’ll try installing the latest GNOME and KDE from IceWM, or upgrade to 11.2.
Well, I tried upgrading to 11.2, and supposedly, the upgrade succeeded. But now the system boots only to the grub command line. I don’t know what to do.
You should tell more about the hardware: what motherboard, how many hard drives, …
Also tell us what are the grub messages you get.
Where did you install the boot loader?
Was a Windows installed before the opensuse?
You should tell more about the hardware: what motherboard, how many hard drives, …
It’s a stock Sony VAIO PCG-9211/PCG-F580 laptop, with the max memory of 256 MB and 80 GB HDD. Full specs here.
Also tell us what are the grub messages you get.
The system boots directly to the grub> command line. I tried various commands and found that initrd is missing.
Where did you install the boot loader?
Here’s what I did:
- Installed openSUSE 11.1 via unetbootin from Windows XP SP3. Network install, from hard drive.
- Once openSUSE 11.1 was installed, I followed the upgrade instructions for 11.2.
- Then once everything was downloaded and installed, I typed reboot.
- Result: System boots directly to the grub> command line.
Why didn’t I install 11.2 directly? For some reason, this CD-ROM isn’t reading/booting the ISO/CD-RWs I burned with Windows 7. (Boot order: CD, floppy, HDD)
Was a Windows installed before the opensuse?
Windows XP SP3, as per above. But that’s gone. When I installed 11.1, I selected the “use entire disk” option which deleted the Windows partition.
Deleting Windows is a wrong decision. Maybe install it later. But for now, it makes installing Linux easier.
Why do you speak about installation CD? Are you trying to install from LiveCD disk? Forget. Download and burn properly the opensuse 11.2 installation DVD, perhaps 64 bit.
When installing, for the next attempt select simple or default package selection.
Install the boot loader on MBR.
It is unlikely that, once done this, the install will not go.
I was just giving you context/history (i.e., how I got to where I am.)
Download and burn properly the opensuse 11.2 installation DVD, perhaps 64 bit.
Impossible. This is an old laptop without a DVD-ROM.
When installing…
openSUSE 11.1 was installed and working. KDE was having problems because, I wager, the video card was insufficient. I completed the 11.1 to 11.2 upgrade process, but rebooting the system brings me directly to the grub> command line.
If you can boot from USB stick, it is possible to put the whole opensuse 11.2 installation DVD on a memory stick, and install from that. I do it for speed reasons.
I haven’t tried, but perhaps it is possible to install from external USB hard drive.
To find out whether it is possible, create a live USB with the content of LiveCD (is very easy with dd command), and perhaps change settings in BIOS.
Upgrade from version to version of opensuse is often problematic; usually it is easier to install the new version.
What filesystem types (ext2, 3, 4) are in use? Especially important is the /boot partition (if exists). If /boot does not exist, then there is a limitation, which, if I know correctly, is that / shall be ext3 or 2.
There is a help document, called “All about GRUB”, which can help you to issue the grub commands to install the loader from the grub > prompt.
For your next attmpt, I suggest select ext2 filesystem for / and /boot
Unfortunately, the BIOS limits bootable drives to CD-ROM, floppy, and HDD.
What filesystem types (ext2, 3, 4) are in use? Especially important is the /boot partition (if exists). If /boot does not exist, then there is a limitation, which, if I know correctly, is that / shall be ext3 or 2.
grub> find /boot/grub/menu.lst
(hd0,1)
grub> root (hd0,1)
Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
grub> setup (hd0)
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
Checking if "/boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes
Running "embed /boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"... 20 sectors are embedded.
succeeded
Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+20 p (hd0,1)/boot/grub/stage2/boot/grub/menu.lst"... succeeded
Done.
grub> kernel /boot/vmlinuz
[Linux-bzImage, setup=0x3c00, size=0x37cce0]
grub> initrd /boot/initrd
Error 15: File not found
grub> boot
boot stops at the following line after Call Trace:
[1.233805] <c0204db7>] kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10
Messages above that include:
VFS: Cannot open root device "<NULL>" or unknown-block(3,1)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available partitions:
DEBUG_BLOCK_EXT_DEVT is enabled, you need to specify explicit textual name for "root=" boot option.
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(3,1)
Unfortunately I don’t know that much to correct the grub. But you have done quite a lot of steps.
Even though grub says that filesystem type is ext2, I doubt it. It is good to check it independently, say, with gparted Live CD.
With some Live CD, you can check the presence of the initrd in /boot It shall be a link to something like initrd-2.6.31.5-0.1-laptop
Also, with opensuse LiveCD or gparted LiveCD, get the partition table and tell us. It is important to see whether you actually have / and /boot separate partitions.
Even with the three boot choices you have in BIOS, it may still be possible to boot from USB: when you plug a USB stick and look in BIOS, you may see new options appearing involving the external USB stick or hard drive. Besides, I have observed something like this: the opensuse on USB manifests itself as a bootable CD to the computer.
I have checked: filesystem of /boot can be ext3 or 2, but the
grub > root (hd0,1)
reports it wrongly as ext2fs.
I burned a copy of Knoppix, to see if I can do something/anything. The system seems to be ignoring writable/written media in the CD drive. The system always boots to the grub> command line. I think the situation is hopeless for this laptop.
No, every Sony laptop I have seen was installable.
If the computer ignores the CD, then likely the CD was not burned properly.
Try the gparted LiveCD. Have never seen it failing.
Well, I have two laptops. One, newer Dell laptop reads burned discs fine. The other, older Sony laptop doesn’t. I’m guessing the Toshiba CD-ROM in the Sony laptop just isn’t compatible with the disc media that I have on hand.
I’m installing XP on the Sony laptop right now.
Good.
I am suspecting you use rewritable CDs.
Reading CDs on Dell is not enough - Dell shall boot from them.
Just plain Memorex CD-Rs.