Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

[Jags_FL]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Mike

I just edited as you've suggested in your post# 12 and 13.

I still gets the same "Error 11: Unrecognized device string" message when I tried to boot Kubuntu from Fedora's GRUB.

[ I did try the same thing during my past 6 or so installations, but its not working ]

So now I've changed the Fedora's GRUB back to the way it was (with "root=UUID=...some string...").

- Jags

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

It seems this should do it:

title Kubuntu 8.04 Alpha 3 -- Ubuntu hardy
(development branch), kernel
2.6.24-3-generic
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-3-generic root=/dev/sda6 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-3-generic
quiet

And check the syntax, too. root=/dev/sda6 has no spaces, and so on.

I can't see anything wrong with the device strings in root, in kernel, or in initrd lines.
It's a long shot, but you can try re-typing it, too, as suggested above.
(I've had that problem on occasion, believe it or not; also when copy/pasting from OOo Writer into menu.lst sometimes does not work.)

I'll have to think about this.
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your device strings.

(Of course, just in case, make sure ALL UUIDs everywhere are correct by checking them against the blkid command – check fstabs in Fedora and in Kubuntu, just in case there is some gremlin in here.)

Now, you CAN try re-installing GRUB from Fedora to the MBR – it will not hurt anything. For some reason, this often fixes things--perhaps the Fedora installer messed up the GRUB installation--it happens in K/Ubuntu, or something doesn't quite "take" -- who knows. Here's how to re-install GRUB from Fedora (sda8) to the MBR:

In Fedora, open a terminal, type
sudo grub
that gives you a GRUB prompt:
grub>
at the prompt, type each of these, pressing Enter after each one:
grub> root (hd0,7)
grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
$exit

re-boot to test it

(space after root and space after setup)
Note: (hd0,7) = sda8 = Fedora's GRUB root.

[Jags_FL]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

hi Mike

as you suggested in your post# 16, I just tried re-installing GRUB from Fedora 8.

the exact messages:

::::::::::::::

grub> root (hd0,7)
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)"...  16 sectors are embedded.
succeeded
Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+16 p (hd0,7)/boot/grub/stage2
/boot/grub/grub.conf"... succeeded
Done.

grub>quit

Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
[root@localhost ~]#

::::::::::::::



After re-boot when I tried to boot Kubuntu (from Fedora Grub's boot menu) I got this message (same as earlier):

:::::

Booting 'Kubuntu 8.04 Alpha 3 -- Ubuntu hardy (development branch), kernel'

root    (hd0,5)
  Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83
kernel  /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-3-generic
  [linux-bzImage, setup=0x2800, size=0x1c8d58]
root=UUID=bb9376fc-7f60-4330-aa2f-f1e43d21a532 ro

Error 11: Unrecognized device string

Press any key to continue...

:::::


After getting above message at Kubuntu boot, I tried to boot Debian (to see if Debian has any effect of re-installing Fedora GRUB) and it worked just fine.

Many thanks.

- Jags

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Boy, what the heck!

I do feel it is best to use root=/dev/sda6 instead of root=UUID= in Fedora's menu.lst for Kubuntu. (Note the leading slash in front of dev.) That would remove one variable (we do know that Debian boots that way; but note that Fedora's fstab does not use UUIDs.)

Assuming you re-typed it (from scratch), I can't see what could be wrong. The GRUB in Fedora recognized the Debian boot entry which is identical to the Kubuntu entry (in terms of the syntax using the /boot directory and the syntax (hdx,y). It is getting stuck at the kernel line.

If it were me, I'd extremely stubbornly try again the following:

Change it to root =/dev/sda6;
Re-install GRUB (from fedora to MBR, as you did);
re-boot to test (again!);

I wonder if something is different about Kubuntu 8.04? (I can't imagine! Have device strings changed or something?)
But, even then, for many changes, you'd get Error 15: File not found (e.g., if the kernel was NOT in /boot or something else different about 8.04.)


So I would first re-type it (by hand) this way (note the periods, not commas, etc., and spacing):

title Kubuntu 8.04 Alpha 3 -- Ubuntu hardy (development branch), kernel 2.6.24-3-generic
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-3-generic root=/dev/sda6 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-3-generic

Then re-install GRUB and try just once more.

If it doesn't work, have you asked the guys at Fedora about this, to see if anyone else has encountered same? You have re-formatted and re-installed, which is good, so that's not a problem.

I'll continue to think and work on this.

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Since we are into crazy here ...
Another stubborn test:
Why not install Kubuntu 7.10 in the exact same place as you have 8.04?
(In GParted Live CD, first reformat sda6 as ext3, then install Kubuntu 7.10 there, trying both root=/dev/sda6 and root=UUID.)

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Yet another thing --
Does 8.04 put the kernel under root or under /boot?
(You can check in 8.04 using the Live CD and Konqueror.)
If it's under root, you should have
kernel /vmlinuz-etc etc
initrd /initrd.img-etc etc

However, as I said, even if that's true, you'd probably just get an Error 15: File not found.

Just another thing to check, but not likely to help much.

[dibl]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

All the Debian Linuces will go toward more and more use of UUIDs. They have to, to manage USB devices. You can still use the /dev/sdx system for your internal hard drives, but the default /etc/fstab files that are written by most of the Debian distributions are now using UUID for the internal hard drives.

[Jags_FL]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

hi Mike

Re-typing by hand and re-installing Fedora's GRUB did not help.

The strange thing is I'm getting this boot up error only with Kubuntu/Ubuntu (and both of 'em uses "device id=UUID") and not with Debian 4.0 / OpenSUSE 11.0 / Fedora 8 (as these three OSes uses "device id=/dev/sda*").

I guess, if change the order of installations, i.e. #1 Vista, #2 Solaris, #3Debian (or OpenSUSE), #4 Fedora and at last #5 Kubuntu/Ubuntu, it would solve my problem/ boot up error.

But I'm trying to install Fedora 8 at the last and use Fedora's GRUB.

Ok being a Linux newbie, I've a question in this regard (though I'm not sure, if should ask it here):

Does it really matter if I use Debian or OpenSUSE or Kubuntu ...? and as you must have figured out by now I'm NOT a developer or anything... I just wanna use Linux as a computer enthusiast. Because if I skip Kubuntu/Ubuntu, rest all Linux OSes I've tried worked just fine.

The only reason I went through six rounds of installations ( 6 x five OSes= 30 some total; each after COMPLETE format) in order to get Kubuntu/Ubuntu working is that, I thought this way I'll get to learn some Linux basics. And yes, I did, in fact.

Many thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

- Jags

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Give me me a few minutes to type 2 more good things to try (they are easy!) --- hang on...

[Jags_FL]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Thanks Mike

You guys are great! ( especially you QqMike ) with Lightning fast replies.

- Jags

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

Edit (as root) your menu.lst in Fedora to include two more boot stanzas for K8.04:

title Kubuntu 8.04 Configfile boot
configfile (hd0,5)/boot/grub/menu.lst

(space after configfile, then no spaces)

title Kubuntu 8.04 Chainloader boot
root (hd0,5)
chainloader +1

(space after root and after chainloader)
then,
File>Save and File>Quit

Then, open a terminal, and again get a GRUB prompt and type these commands:
sudo grub
grub> root (hd0,5)
grub> setup (hd0,5)
grub> quit

Note that setup puts GRUB from Kubuntu into the boot sector of (hd0,5) (NOT into any MBR!). You may see a "failed but not fatal message," and that's OK (it refers to stage_1.5 which we don't need here)

Now re-boot to test these two boot entries and see if one of them gets you into Kubuntu.
Note that each time, you will be presented with a second boot menu—the second one coming from Kubuntu on (hd0,5)--and then you choose Kubuntu 8.04 from that second boot menu you see.

I've got to leave again and will be back in 30-60 minutes.

You'll learn a little bit more,
then I will give up if you want me to

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

I agree with you about UUIDs.
Somehow, Fedora installer is picking up the UUIDs and not the sda6, or Fedora's GRUB is confused.
If you were to try root=/dev/sda6 again in the Fedora kernel line for Kubuntu, I would FIRST edit the Kubuntu fstab so it does not use UUIDs for sda6 (but instead uses the sda6 form), then I would install Fedora again, or just try to edit Fedora's menu.lst for the Kubuntu boot entry to read root=/dev/sda6.

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

About my last post (above)
So, in * Kubuntu * /etc/fstab on sda6, you could try this:

Leave the existing entry for sda6 where it is but comment-it-out using the # sign in front of each line:
# /dev/sda6
#UUID=bb9376fc-7f60-4330-aa2f-f1e43d21a532 /
ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1

And add this fstab entry for sda6 (right below the one you just commented-out):

# sda6 modified entry
/dev/sda6 / ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1

(I think that's right; it's been awhile since I used the “older” form.)

Then re-boot.
Or, even better, NOW re-install Fedora so it only sees the Kubuntu fstab with the /dev/sda6 form; and check to be sure that the Fedora menu.lst entry for Kubuntu also uses the root=/dev/sda6 form.

[Jags_FL]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

hi Mike

Ok before I read your reply# 26 & 27, I edited Fedora's GRUB Menu.lst as you suggested in your reply#25.

After reboot, when I selected "Kubuntu 8.04 Configfile boot" entry in Fedora's GRUB,

I did get Kubuntu's GRUB entry selection and when I selected to boot up Kubuntu, I got this error message:


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

fsck 1.40.3 (05-Dec-2007)
/dev/sda6: clean, 95416/1311552 files, 561290/2622603 blocks [ok]

* Starting early crypto disks... [ok]
* Starting remaining crypto disks... [ok]
* Checking file systems...
fsck 1.40.3 (05-Dec-2007)
fsck.ext3: Unable to resolve 'UUID=6368746f-2074-616b-6f65-207575696400'
fsck.ext3: Unable to resolve 'UUID=6368746f-2074-616b-6f65-207575696400'
fsck died with exit status 8 [fail]


*File system check failed.
A log is being saved in /var/log/fsck/checkfs if that location is writable.
Please repair the file system manually.
*A maintenance shell will now be started.
CONTROL-D will terminate this shell and resume system reboot.
bash: no job control in this shell
bash: groups: command not found
bash: lesspipe: command not found
bash: Command: command not found
bash: The: command not found
bash: dircolors: command not found
bash: Command: command not found
bash: The: command not found
root@xpc:~#

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::


When I press CTRL+D, it did NOT do nothing, BUT when I typed:

shutdown -r now

it did boot up Kubuntu.


Here is /var/log/fsck/checkfs

::::::::::

Log of fsck -C -R -A -a
Sat Jan 19 21:12:17 2008

fsck 1.40.3 (05-Dec-2007)
fsck.ext3: Unable to resolve
'UUID=6368746f-2074-616b-6f65-207575696400'
fsck.ext3: Unable to resolve
'UUID=6368746f-2074-616b-6f65-207575696400'
fsck died with exit status 8

Sat Jan 19 21:12:17 2008
----------------

::::::::::



Kubuntu's /etc/fstab:


# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options>
<dump> <pass>
proc /proc proc defaults
0 0
# /dev/sda6
UUID=bb9376fc-7f60-4330-aa2f-f1e43d21a532 /
ext3 errors=remount-ro 0 1
# /dev/sda1
UUID=F68CCC528CCC0ED5 /media/sda1 ntfs
defaults,umask=007,gid=46 0 1
# /dev/sda7
UUID=6368746f-2074-616b-6f65-207575696400 /media/sda7
ext3 defaults 0 2
# /dev/sda8
UUID=6368746f-2074-616b-6f65-207575696400 /media/sda8
ext3 defaults 0 2
# /dev/sda5
UUID=911b9f83-a3cc-4237-9fc8-233c5a705341 none
swap sw 0 0
/dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660
user,noauto,exec 0 0



Kubuntu' Menu.lst:



title Ubuntu hardy (development branch), kernel
2.6.24-3-generic
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-3-generic
root=UUID=bb9376fc-7f60-4330-aa2f-f1e43d21a532 ro
quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-3-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu hardy (development branch), kernel
2.6.24-3-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.24-3-generic
root=UUID=bb9376fc-7f60-4330-aa2f-f1e43d21a532 ro
single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-3-generic

title Ubuntu hardy (development branch), memtest86+
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet



:::::::::::::::::


After re-boot when I tried "Kubuntu 8.04 Chainloader boot" option, it just brought GRUB>

and I was not able to do anything there. Just powered off from the PC.

Now, I'm gonna try out editing Kubuntu's /etc/fstab as you've suggested in your reply# 27.

Thanks a million for ALL your help.

- Jags

[Qqmike]

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string : Kubuntu 8.04 won't boot up

I need to read all you have posted but quickly:

>>> what about the chainloader option (that's the one that *should work for sure*);

and did you do the edits we discussed on the UUIDs so all UUIDs are correct?