problems finding files after F16 64bit installation - Page 2

johnlvs2run · #16 17th May 2012, 04:25 AM

Thank you very much for your helpfulness!

I'm using the LXTerminal in LXDE.
LXDE has Leafpad which I've not used before. I will try it or else get GEdit.
I don't know if the / file-system is mounted. I will run through this again and see what happens.

Code:

$ su -
Password: 
# sudo umount /dev/sda{3,4,5,6,7,8} --- I think this messed with grub and # sudo umount /dev/sda would have been better.
umount: /dev/sda3: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda4: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda5: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda6: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda7: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda8: not mounted

# sudo fsck -f /dev/sda{3,4,5,6,7,8}
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
e2fsck: need terminal for interactive repairs
e2fsck: need terminal for interactive repairs
e2fsck: need terminal for interactive repairs
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
e2fsck: need terminal for interactive repairs
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
e2fsck: need terminal for interactive repairs
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
e2fsck: need terminal for interactive repairs

# blkid /dev/sda{3,4,5,6,7,8}
/dev/sda3: LABEL="_Fedora-14-i686-" UUID="0ce99614-563b-437f-a6bf-06e8dcce7ea3" TYPE="ext4" 
/dev/sda5: LABEL="os #3" UUID="ca26cb67-5560-494f-85b2-56406e0b1650" TYPE="ext2" 
/dev/sda6: LABEL="os #4" UUID="53da4d5c-c8a6-4b3b-a120-7ecaebcbeefe" TYPE="ext2" 
/dev/sda7: LABEL="os #5" UUID="04652e6b-32ce-4d1b-8a67-240a59340428" TYPE="ext2" 
/dev/sda8: LABEL="home" UUID="b76cad3d-b1b4-46ce-8e0f-582972b6f762" TYPE="ext2" 

# sudo leafpad /etc/fstab
# cd /mnt

# sudo mount "$i"
mount: can't find  in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab

#exit
$exit

rebooting

Something went wrong. When I tried to reboot, the computer went off.
On restart it went to the boot page, then to a black page with a white line at the bottom and Fedora 16 at the right.
I tried to use the terminal but didn't make any progress. None of the boot lines would connect. The boot page reads as follows:
Fedora (3.3.4-3.fc16.x86_64)
Fedora Linux, with Linux 3.1.0-7.fc16.x86.64
Fedora Linux, with Linux 3.1.0-7.fc16.x86.64 (recovery mode)

I put in the DVD and came back, so guess the edit will need to be amended from the DVD at this point.
Update:
I tried to install F16 on sda 5, which went well but then the computer wouldn't boot to that either.
Now the boot page (grub) doesn't show up anymore, instead going to a line to edit grub like this: grub >
I'm on the live DVD, will be back in a bit, am looking for suggestions and trying to figure out what do to.

***Gareth Jones*** · #17 17th May 2012, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlvs2run

Update:
I tried to install F16 on sda 5, which went well but then the computer wouldn't boot to that either.
Now the boot page (grub) doesn't show up anymore, instead going to a line to edit grub like this: grub >
I'm on the live DVD, will be back in a bit, am looking for suggestions and trying to figure out what do to.

Ok, in the live system load a terminal and make sure that you have root privileges and that no partitions are mounted:

Code:

su -
umount /dev/sda*

Make sure you've got the gdisk command, then use it to list the partitions on /dev/sda to make sure that they're still there:

Code:

yum install gdisk
gdisk -l /dev/sda

If the partitions are present and as expected, run fsck on all the ext2/3/4 file-systems. If there is something odd about the reported partitions, stop there and ask here, because trying to change them could lose more data!

Code:

for i in /dev/sda{2,3,4,5,6,7,8}    # Set these numbers appropriately.
do
    fsck -f -p "$i"
done

If there are errors that fsck cannot fix automatically, run "fsck -f" (without -p) on the affected partition.

If all that checks out okay, mount the root partition of your F16 install (whichever you want to use):

Code:

mount /dev/sd[whichever partion] /mnt

Then post the contents of /mnt/etc/fstab and /mnt/boot/grub2/grub.cfg.

johnlvs2run · #18 17th May 2012, 08:55 PM

Code:

# umount /dev/sda*
umount: /dev/sda: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda1: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda2: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda3: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda4: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda5: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda6: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda7: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda8: not mounted
umount: /dev/sda9: not mounted

# yum install gdisk
Installed:
  gdisk.x86_64 0:0.8.4-1.fc16                                                    
Complete!
#

Code:

# gdisk -l /dev/sda
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 0.8.4

Partition table scan:
  MBR: MBR only
  BSD: not present
  APM: not present
  GPT: not present


***************************************************************
Found invalid GPT and valid MBR; converting MBR to GPT format.
***************************************************************

Disk /dev/sda: 488397168 sectors, 232.9 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 87A0D646-80CD-4A43-8E46-326A87E51E51
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 488397134
Partitions will be aligned on 1-sector boundaries
Total free space is 5414 sectors (2.6 MiB)

Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   1              63         8193149   3.9 GiB     8200  Linux swap
   2         8193150       110607524   48.8 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
   3       110607525       213021899   48.8 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
   5       213021963       268333694   26.4 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
   6       268333758       323645489   26.4 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
   7       323645553       378957284   26.4 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
   8       378957348       434269079   26.4 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
   9       434269143       488392064   25.8 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem

#

Code:

# for i in /dev/sda{2,3,4,5,6,7,8}    # Set these numbers appropriately.
> do
>     fsck -f -p "$i"
> done
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
_Fedora-16-x86_6: 71700/3203072 files (0.2% non-contiguous), 691272/12801792 blocks
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
_Fedora-14-i686-: recovering journal
_Fedora-14-i686-: 215487/3203072 files (0.4% non-contiguous), 1481174/12801796 blocks
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
fsck.ext2: Attempt to read block from filesystem resulted in short read while trying to open /dev/sda4
Could this be a zero-length partition?
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
/dev/sda5: 225/1728512 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 158908/6913966 blocks
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
os_#4: 11/1728512 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 119735/6913966 blocks
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
os_#5: 11/1728512 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 119735/6913966 blocks
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
home: 11/1728512 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 119735/6913966 blocks
#

Code:

# fsck -f /dev/sda2
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes
Pass 2: Checking directory structure
Pass 3: Checking directory connectivity
Pass 4: Checking reference counts
Pass 5: Checking group summary information
_Fedora-16-x86_6: 71700/3203072 files (0.2% non-contiguous), 691272/12801792 blocks

# fsck -f /dev/sda3
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
e2fsck 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes
Pass 2: Checking directory structure
Pass 3: Checking directory connectivity
Pass 4: Checking reference counts
Pass 5: Checking group summary information
_Fedora-14-i686-: 215487/3203072 files (0.4% non-contiguous), 1481174/12801796 blocks
#

Code:

# mount /dev/sda2 /mnt

# /mnt/etc/fstab
-bash: /mnt/etc/fstab: Permission denied

# /mnt/boot/grub2/grub.cfg
-bash: /mnt/boot/grub2/grub.cfg: No such file or directory
#

I tried to boot again and got the same message as before.

Code:

grub loading
welcome to grub!
error:  file not found
entering rescue mode
grub rescue >

In the "yum reinstall bash" thread, at least one person mentioned the computer would not boot until bash was replaced.
I followed the instructions, and bash was missing. It is now replaced, actually twice, but the computer still does not boot.
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=272671

Code:

# cat /etc/shells
/bin/sh
/bin/bash
/sbin/nologin
/bin/dash

# echo /bin/bash >> /etc/shells
# cat /etc/shells
/bin/sh
/bin/bash
/sbin/nologin
/bin/dash
/bin/bash
#

That might have been sufficient, but I also ran yum reinstall bash as was instructed in the thread.
I think there is now an extra bash line.

Code:

#  yum reinstall bash
Complete!

# # cat /etc/shells
/bin/sh
/bin/bash
/sbin/nologin
/bin/dash
/bin/bash

# echo /bin/bash >> /etc/shells
# cat /etc/shells
/bin/sh
/bin/bash
/sbin/nologin
/bin/dash
/bin/bash
/bin/bash
#

Let me know of anymore ideas or suggestions. I'm still stuck to the live DVD and don't have access to anything.

How about reinstalling grub, since that seems to be the issue. http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/sho...d.php?t=246798

Thank you very much for all your help, Gareth! Have a great weekend!

***Gareth Jones*** · #19 18th May 2012, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlvs2run

Code:

fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
_Fedora-16-x86_6: 71700/3203072 files (0.2% non-contiguous),

That's not a problem, just minor fragmentation which is normal with a bit of use or after running updates.

Quote:

Code:

fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
fsck.ext2: Attempt to read block from filesystem resulted in short read while trying to open /dev/sda4
Could this be a zero-length partition?

As you're using MBR partitions (rather than the newer GPT system), in order to have more than four partitions, one of the four primaries has to be flagged extended, and contains partitions 5 onwards. Thus sda4 isn't a Linux file-system, but a container for the others.

Anyway your file-systems are all clean.

Quote:

Code:

# /mnt/etc/fstab
-bash: /mnt/etc/fstab: Permission denied

You're trying to execute a plain text file, which bash won't allow. To view it, use cat as you did for /etc/shells.

Quote:

Code:

# /mnt/boot/grub2/grub.cfg
-bash: /mnt/boot/grub2/grub.cfg: No such file or directory
#

Ditto cat comment above. What do "ls /mnt/boot" and "ls /mnt/boot/grub*" say? If you're GRUB configuration has been deleted, that'd explain this message:

Quote:

Code:

grub loading
welcome to grub!
error:  file not found
entering rescue mode
grub rescue >

Quote:

I followed the instructions, and bash was missing. It is now replaced, actually twice, but the computer still does not boot.

Bash is unlikely to be the problem, at least not yet. I'd remove the excess bashes from /etc/shells, but they probably don't hurt.

Quote:

How about reinstalling grub, since that seems to be the issue. http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/sho...d.php?t=246798

That'd be a good plan by the look of it. However those instructions are for GRUB1, and F16 uses GRUB2, which is quite a different beast. Unfortunately I don't know the commands for that.

I'm off now for a weekend of mountains, tents and beer, but hopefully someone else can help you with GRUB. Good luck!

johnlvs2run · #20 23rd May 2012, 06:11 AM

I reinstalled F16 into sda5 yesterday morning, this time with the bootloader into MBR.
The computer booted fine into F16 sda5, and fine into F15 sda3 which was not previously booting.
I guess that I won't be able to get into F16 sda 2 but only used it a couple of weeks anyway.

Back to the topic, is it possible to get to the F15 sda3 files from F16 sda5?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gareth Jones

If you use the advanced mode in the partitioning section, you can choose to mount your old data and home directories too – give them mount points like /mnt/old_home etc. (i.e. subdirectories of /mnt), and most importantly, make sure that "format partition" is not selected. That'll save you from messing around with /etc/fstab etc. after installation.

Will adjusting the sda3 directories from the livedvd, then make them accessible from F16 sda5?

***Gareth Jones*** · #21 23rd May 2012, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlvs2run

Will adjusting the sda3 directories from the livedvd, then make them accessible from F16 sda5?

You can create/rename the mount-point directories (in /mnt) from the live system, but you must still edit /etc/fstab so that the installed system knows what to do with them.