fc9 - No kernel packages were installed on your system

[jfenwick]

I installed FC9 using CDs (not the DVD).

When I reach the end of my Fedora Core 9 installation, it says:

No kernel packages were installed on your system. Your boot load configuration will not be changed.

When I rebooted the computer, a plain grub prompt comes up.

I tried going into recovery mode.

I typed: chroot /mnt/sysimage

I looked in /boot/grub and discovered there wasn't a kernel, or a grub.conf.

I typed: grub-install /dev/sda1

It created a bunch of directories in /boot/grub.

I rebooted, got the grub prompt again. I typed: root (hd0,0)

It said: File system type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83.

Then I typed: setup (hd0)

It said:

Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... no
Checking if "/grub/stage1" exists... yes
Checking if "/grub/stage2" exists... yes
Checking if "/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes
Running "embed /grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"... 23 sectors are embedded.
Succeeded
Running "install /grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+23 p (hd0,0)/grub/stage2 /grub/grub.conf"... succeeded
Done.

Then I tried rebooting, and I still just get the grub prompt!

This is all stuff I pieced together from other people having similar problems. I saw a lot of those instructions in http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...roblem-113924/
Granted, I have no idea what most of this does.

Any ideas what's going on? Should I just reinstall?

[LDC]

Should I just reinstall?

I think this is the fastest way (but before reinstalling, be sure to wipe the entire partition...a fresh install is the best method)

[jfenwick]

Can you recommend a good method for wiping the partition?

[stoat]

When I reach the end of my Fedora Core 9 installation, it says:

No kernel packages were installed on your system. Your boot load configuration will not be changed.

...

Any ideas what's going on?

Hello jfenwick,

The actual message is this:

"No kernel packages were installed on your system. Your boot loader configuration will not be changed."

Searching for it on the Internet produces no shortage of other posts and threads talking about it. You will also find examples of the anaconda source code that writes it. Anyway, I've seen this message in posts before, but I just can't remember what to do about it. In fact, most threads discussing it yield no useful information. Most just end. But there was one that was interesting. It's old (FC2). But what was interesting was that the poster didn't mention at the outset that the first attempt at installing froze. Then the poster started over using the upgrade option. The result was the "no kernel was installed" thing.

So it makes me wonder if your installation was a clean installation into free unpartitioned space? And did it otherwise go smoothly? Have you tried it again yet?

With no kernels in /boot, re-installing GRUB shouldn't do much good. And this is so obviously busted, that trying to install a kernel using, say, a LiveCD seems like folly. I agree with the recommendation to try again. But do a clean install into unpartitioned space using CDs verified to be good.

[LDC]

Can you recommend a good method for wiping the partition?

there are many, but all depend on how your system is configured: if you have just one partition that fill the whole disk space, then you're in the easiest scenario.
Every time I forget about the correct procedure, I visit this link which is very helpful.

[jfenwick]

So it makes me wonder if your installation was a clean installation into free unpartitioned space? And did it otherwise go smoothly? Have you tried it again yet?

I guess there are a few things I left out.

The originally Red Hat 7 installed. No, not FC7, we're talking RHEL7, from like, 2003. I downloaded the net install cd and started the installation. I did get to the part where I partitioned the drives, and I completely blew away the old installation and used the default FC9 partition scheme.

However, when I got to where I needed to install the new system, I had a networking problem which I could not get around. So, I quit the installation. I downloaded the full FC9 cd installation and started over.

I doubt any of that matters, because when I tried to install FC9 the second time I just wiped the entire drive again.

I haven't had time to try reinstalling yet again, I'm hoping to get to that today.

[jfenwick]

I reinstalled the entire FC9 and let FC9 wipe the entire hard drive.

I got the "No kernel packages were installed on your system. Your boot loader configuration will not be changed." message and the end of the install, again.

Now when I reboot I don't even get grub, I get this:

GRUB loading, please wait...
Error 15

I'm really at a loss as to what to do at this point. I know there's no kernel, but it doesn't want to install a kernel, even when I wipe the entire hard drive!

[zenwalker]

Can you recommend a good method for wiping the partition?

Google GParted.

Download it, burn it to cd, boot from it and you can manage your HDD, remove, regroup, modify, format partitions etc....

[stoat]

Hello again jfenwick,

You might be interested in this thread here. See, I said I had seen this business before. I just couldn't remember where until now. It's not an explanation (which would be nice), but it's at least something to try. No promises, of course.

[jfenwick]

I ran a media test on the discs I was using and the first disc was bombing out at 12%, so I assume there was something wrong with the ISO. I burned another ISO, which bombed out at 99%, but I tried installing it anyways.

This time, however, I installed using the text mode of anaconda. It seemed to work.

It's hard to say whether it was the disc, or the fact that I used text mode instead of graphical mode.

Either way, it works now, that's all I care about.