Help with newbie: Gentoo install

[Helpless]

Hello Gurus
[topic=]
For week I'm unable to boot into Gentoo. I keep getting the message and the keyboard light up like a christmas tree. I've spent too much time to give up. Please someone help!!!

The message is :

[chiefbag]

[kurly]

I only took a quick look, but I didn't notice any filesystems configured in your kernel. You'll need to have whatever your root filesystem is enabled in the kernel (not as a module). For example, CONFIG_EXT4_FS.

[Helpless]

Hi Kurly

My mistake in copying the ".config" file. Here is the rest:

[kurly]

I see: # CONFIG_EXT4_FS is not set

... Is your root filesystem EXT4? You have EXT2 and EXT3 but no EXT4. I think if you enable that you will be okay. (Unless you know you are using a different FS)

[Helpless]

Hi kurly

The boot partition is ext2, and the root is ext3.

Also, the amd64 handbook mentioned framebuffer and I've set that on in the config file. However, the detail of where to put the "video=" command in the grub statement is vague. How does one pass parameters to grub?

One thing I forgot to mention is the kernel is a manual compile and not using genkernel.

[kurly]

If you are certain that the drive is not EXT4 then you should be okay with just EXT2/EXT3. It is still unclear why you are unable to boot, though...

As for the grub question, to pass arguments to the kernel, you would add them to the end of the 'kernel' line in /boot/grub/menu.lst or equivalent.

From an old machine of mine:

[gerard27]

Did you heed chiefbag's remark about grub?
Even with a correctly configured kernel it will never boot from (hd0,0)!
Gerard.
_________________
To install Gentoo I use sysrescuecd.Based on Gentoo,has firefox to browse Gentoo docs and mc to browse (and edit) files.
The same disk can be used for 32 and 64 bit installs.
You can follow the Handbook verbatim.
http://www.sysresccd.org/Download

[Helpless]

Hi gerard82

I have tried

[BillWho]

Helpless,

With a separate boot parition, don't prefix your kernel line with /boot

Try kernel = /kernel-3.2.12-gentoo real_root=/dev/sdb3

Good luck
_________________
Good luck

Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge

[The Doctor]

Someone should add this: please use pastebin or similar when posting large files as they make the thread easier to read.

here are a bounch of random ideas that I hope will be helpful to you:

You might want to try the ext4 driver as it handles the ext2 and ext3 file systems in one option. Make sure its built in.
Also you might want to use the app on http://kernel-seeds.org/ to check and make sure you really caught everything you need. You could be missing some other driver. If your kernel is loaded and then cannot load your file system there are two suspects: file systems and disk drivers.

On a side note, why does everyone assume that because windows was there first it ended up on sda? My computer's windows was installed by the company on sdb so that is where the computer boots from and where windows lives and my gentoo lives happily on sda.

Quick check: use fsdisk (or simular) and see which drive as two partitions (they will be C:/ and D:/) and which one has you linkux partitions. If they are on /dev/sda use (hd 0,0) and if they appear on /dev/sdb use (hd 1,0)
_________________
First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

Apologies if I take a while to respond. I'm currently working on the dematerialization circuit for my blue box.

[phamming]

I did experience the same problems, the solution for me was either installing an initrd (for example from the genkernel) or having all necessary drivers built-in or mentioned on the kernel command line. Whereby the built-in method will be easier and the kernel command line is more flexible, especially when you add it to grub (or another bootmanager).

When I look at your kernel-config file, the only thing I can imagine that could be a problem is the IDE options, because the SATA and IDE drivers do not always function well next to each other and the IDE drivers aren't necessary anymore (but in rare cases), instead use the PATA drivers.

You pass parameters to grub by adding them on the kernel line. When you don't splash, you can touch `e' to edit the boot options, line by line, and you don't have te boot every time.

@penguin swordmaster
In the openingpost is a dump of fdisk which suggests that linux is installed on sdb, simply because all partitions are linux ones and it's the only mentioned disk device.

I hope this is helpful.

[cwr]

Basically, grub isn't finding bootable filesystem - was grub installed with the
same BIOS setup that you are now booting with? I can switch boot drives
in the BIOS, and the grub on the second HD works fine.

Will

[ali3nx]

Likely the grub setup could be part of the problem here also.. Usually best to stick to age tested basics. The below grub.conf setup example is also for /dev/sdb with uvesafb. if you were booting with the rootfs as sdb you have to change the root and kernel partition to (hd1,0)

[Helpless]

I apologise for all the large pastes. I new to gentoo and this is the first time I had to ask for help and none of my mates use linux must less compile one. I am sick of Windoze getting heavier and heavier.

Everybody, I thank you and take some of the new ideas on board.

I still have 2 more questions:-
fdisk and parted always complaints my disk is not alinged and yet there is no option to align it. I am clutching at straws, but would a difference between logical and physical size play a role here, because the first section starts at 2048? Too big for a boot block.

Secondly, when I'm edit mode on the grub menu, it kept saying the partitions are ext2 when my boot partition is ext3.

[BillWho]

Helpless,

Where did you install grub - /sda or /sdb

Can you paste your grub.conf and fstab files and the output of blkid and ls -l /boot
_________________
Good luck

Since installing gentoo, my life has become one long emerge

[Helpless]

BillWho

I installed grub on /sdb and there is where the rest of gentoo reside also. My thinking is if this attemp beats me, I don't to to just through hoops to get "clean" out my boot sector/

I am trying LILO, but from memory the code for grub.conf is

[Helpless]

Hello Gentoo gurus.

Maybe these ideas have been thought of :

1. One the help in the make menuconfig can show the modules produced.
2. Before using "make menuconfig", I can run a script to that put some of the drivers from lspci into the .config file.

This could be the basis from which a newbie can start of from. Afterall, I am trying Gentoo from an article local magazine. Previously I just use a precompiled distro, Current I'm using puppylinux which fast and none of the eye candy, but lacking in some of the things I want to explore on the linux platform.

[ali3nx]

[BillWho]

Helpless,

In my opinion you should stick with grub to boot. Here's a grub.conf that should work. I'm proceeding on the premise that gentoo /boot is installed on /dev/sdb1, /root is /dev/sdb3 and there's no initramfs.

[Helpless]

Thanks BillWho