SOLVED -- SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

[MoonRise]

First the SWAP partition seemed missing. Sure enough during one of my gaming sprees, I noticed RAM would MAX out while SWAP never being utilized, of course the game shut down due to memory. Found that the SWAP wasn't active. Tried activating it with the result of weird errors. Turns out, through gparted, I had to reformat it to a Linux Swap. Why? That did the trick, but why did it loose that identification as being a SWAP?

Second, I noticed that when rebooting, Kubuntu would error out somewhere. I tried seeing the actual text while loading, but it went to quickly to read, then reboot would start all over again, infinitely >. It didn't do that when choosing WinXP, GRUB still worked, but as soon as choosing Kubuntu, infinite boot time.


Edit:
Thought fixing SWAP would correct the boot problem. It didn't. Still does that. Also, to even get back to Kubuntu, power down at least 15 secs, power on, fine.

[dibl]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

That's kinda weird. Is there any other Linux OS on that computer, that would use that swap space? Is there any reason to be concerned about your hard drive -- does it fsck OK?

[Snowhog]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

Reboot and choose Recovery Mode. When you are at the command line, take a look at the file /var/log/dmesg.0

This is will be the log file created 'before' you booted into recovery mode, and so, will/should have information that might help pinpoint why the cyclic reboot is taking place.

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

That's kinda weird. Is there any other Linux OS on that computer, that would use that swap space? Is there any reason to be concerned about your hard drive -- does it fsck OK?

It isn't that old of a drive, but I did try fsck, but didn't go through with it due to it's warning about running it while the partition was mounted. How from there?

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

Reboot and choose Recovery Mode. When you are at the command line, take a look at the file /var/log/dmesg.0

This is will be the log file created 'before' you booted into recovery mode, and so, will/should have information that might help pinpoint why the cyclic reboot is taking place.

Well, it seems to go back to that SWAP issue again:

[  37.323016] /build/buildd/linux-source-2.6.22-2.6.22/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c: v2.6:USB HID core driver
[  37.711889] ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:02.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 21
[  37.711919] Model 1003 Rev 00000000 Serial 10031102
[  38.026974] lp0: using parport0 (interrupt-driven).
[  38.171129] Unable to find swap-space signature
[  38.445604] EXT3 FS on sdb5, internal journal
[  39.178476] Unable to find swap-space signature

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

I did recently install VirtualBox. Could that be causing problems? Like I said, reboot causes this. If I shut down for at least 15 sec and power back on, it does OK. The drive is only a year to a year and a half old. Also, I just updated the video card form an nVidia 5200 to nVidia 5500. Not a big leap there, and the card is seated properly, as well as everything else. Actually can do all that in my sleep . I'm still mystified.

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

I'm going to point my finger at VirtualBox. Anyway, I can't even boot into Kubuntu anymore .
Live CD boots fine, and so does WinXP on the machine same HD. All my testing tools reports a healthy system, so as far a I can figure there is something corrupt somewhere. If anyone can tell me how to repair it without a complete re-install please let me know. Otherwise, I can get my home files through WinXP. Is there a way I can integrate that back to my profile IF I have to re-Instal Kubuntu? Oh sad, sad, sad, sad.... sad day. . Bound to happen, been upgrading to each new release of Kubuntu since around Horry Hedgehog.

[dibl]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

Moonrise if you can run the Live CD, then you could fsck the (unmounted) hard drive partitions.

I don't know much about Virtual Box -- tried it some months ago and decided that VMWare Player 2.0 was a better solution on my rig. I would not expect it to "adjust" the hard drive partitions or filesystems, however -- it should be entirely within the Linux filesystem. The part of the story that is really weird is where you can shut down and leave it for more than 15 seconds and then get a clean boot. That suggests that something is being set in volatile memory (RAM) that is different than in BIOS -- like a .... virtual hard drive, maybe? So when volatile memory shuts down after 15 seconds, then it boots to the real hardware. So maybe it is VB doing this.

On the other hand, it sounds like you've been patching your way along through multiple versions of Kubuntu since HH, so maybe the time has come to do a clean new installation, starting with GParted Live CD to set the partitions like you want them.

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

Well, the 15 sec is blown. Can't do that now. But I agree as to the memory setting and maybe it's in a config file. However, yes, I'd like to redo it. /home on its own partition for one. Like I said, it is a reltively new drive and I used a disk cloning program to move everything over. Maybe that introduced something that took time to show. Who knows. At least Kubuntu installs quickly unlike the other . Any clues on how to "copy" over my current home folders?

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

You know, I'm going to go backwards first. Un-install VirtualBox. If it still does that, put the old video card back in. All was well until I did these last two things which unfortunately was around the same time and I hadn't had to reboot until I was messing around with VirtualBox.

[dibl]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

In your /home folder/partition are, I assume, both "data" and "settings". You want to copy the data and leave the settings.

Lately, because I like to keep 2 OS's at all times (Plan "B", you know), I have been simply making a smallish (~5GB) partition for /home, alongside a 6GB partition for /, and then simply linking out to my "images", "music", "docs" and "VMWare Player" data partition(s). That way, the data can live in partitions that are not encumbered with "settings", and vice-versa.

But, whether you do that or not, make sure you've got 6GB for the basic filesystem, excluding consideration of data.

And the GParted Live CD comes in real handy to set up the hard drive, separately from doing the Kubuntu installation itself. http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...kage_id=173828

[JamieC68]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

The other thing I would check is the memory. Sometimes memory issues can cause things like this. Run the memory test to see if there are problems with the physical memory on the system. You might have a stick of ram that is starting to go bad.

J
8)

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

Thanks! Fond the problem. My new Video Card . Why it works in WinXP and not Kubuntu, I don't know. I'll put it in my daughter's computer since she is WinXP for her games. It was cheap anyway and was an "All Sales Final", so I can't return it. Oh well.

I did do a memory test and it tested great. Put the old video card back in and no problems. Has to be something, but nothing would report what. Any tools out there that would?

[Snowhog]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

It would be my guess, that it was a result of the way the new video card managed it's memory that was in conflict with your settings.

[MoonRise]

Re: SWAP partition AWOL!!!! Infinite Boot!!!!!

Have you ever heard or read anything to that respect? That makes since, but I don't know what changed that made it start doing that. I'm just at a loss for what is going on. That was the best graphics I've ever seen.