Last Update Deadly (SOLVED except for sound problem)

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...pic=3081671.15
Reply #23, Error 15, fixing a broken initrd file

I'm not real sure this is what's going on, though. I don't think it is. And you want to be careful messing with these things (now, HOW would I know that!).
You might check and be sure that your initrd files are under /boot along with vmlinuz.
That would be this file:
/boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-22-generic
(I'm going to have to sign off soon for tonight.)

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

I had to sign off last night. I have at least learned a few more things. I can get my wife's machine into Windows so that is ok. The danger is that she will be back in familiar territory and will want her machine to stay that way.

This happened after the last big update, don't remember the versions, so now on this, my primary desktop machine I am nervous about taking the update. I will hold off until wwe find out what happened on her machine. Thanks for the support and staying with me last night.

I have to get my granddaughters to school this morning so I will be online sporadically in the afternoon but will be here for a bit later in the morning. Thanks again for your great support. I will check for the presence of the file that was mentioned and report back.

Sounds like this one might be the thing to try. Please verify if this is the path to follow:

Suppose, as an example, that the broken Kubuntu is in partition sda2.
From the Live CD, chroot into the sda2 partition (see how-to note below).
Issue the following command:
sudo update-initramfs -u -v
and let it run and put things together & right for your initrd.

Chroot -- How-to
To chroot into sda2 from the Live Kubuntu CD at Konsole:
sudo mkdir /media/fixthings
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /media/fixthings
sudo chroot  /media/fixthings
(Now you are “in” sda2 as root and can work from there as if you were actually booted into it.)

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

Well, I'm not sure if you should/need to run the
sudo update-initramfs -u -v

I don't think it would do any harm, though--but who knows.
I'm not sure about the what this message is saying about /sbin/init.

=> Hopefully, some one can have a look at this today and lend a hand.

running /scripts/init=bottom
done
Target filesystem doesn't have /sbin/init
Busybox V.1.13 (Debian 1:1, 1.3- ubuntu/2)
built in shell (ssn_
enter help for list of commands
(initramfs)

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

A guy here had the same thing with Dapper and wrote a nice step-by-step (reinstalling a system file):
Target Filesystem doesn't have /sbin/init
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=13879
(looks pretty good)

And google gave one at Ubuntu forums (and other stuff):
Target filesystem doesn't have /sbin/init
http://www.google.com/search?q=Targe...ient=firefox-a


Maybe this is fixable without re-installing.
I must confess, I usually re-install when I hit things like this, but then I don't maintain a "real" production system--everything is experimental on my 2 HDDs, temporary for me--except my /home is on separate partition and backed up to flash drive & etcetera (and I keep a live persistent Kubuntu flash drive on hand as an extreme "backup" strategy to Internet survival).

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

I was very hopeful that would work after reading the reference post. Sounded perfect. The apt-get update worked fine. but the apt-get upgrade said 0 files found and 0 files upgraded or something like that. A reboot just in case ended in the same situation. I am still hopeful that I can solve this without a reinstall. Now I am going to go over and try commenting out all of the kernel options in GRUB except for the last one to see if I can gat least get the XP boot option to appear.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

Oops. I used a -reinstall option instead of a --reinstall. Did it the right way and got 1 file installed. Maybe that was it. Will reboot and see. Still might need to edit the GRUB file, men.lst. I will do that before I reboot.

Update: Still no joy. I end up with the same prompt saying that /sbin/init does not exist.

If I have to reinstall will it mess up my dual boot setup? I am hopeful we can resolve this without a reinstall but if we must we must. Any more ideas? I am pretty sure I did the procedure in the referenced thread correctly.

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

You might try the procedure again, just to be sure.
The google also referenced one at Ubuntu ... but maybe that is what the guy at Kubuntu used. Maybe there is something else in that google search?

A reinstall should not mess up the GRUB boot.

Do you have a separate /home partition? It doesn't seem so.
If not, copy all your personal data (docs, photos, movies, spreadsheets, all that stuff) onto a flash drive or CD so you don't lose them upon re-installing.

Did you comment out the extras to see if XP appears on the boot menu?


for separate /home:
Partitioning—how to, Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

You might try the procedure again, just to be sure.
The google also referenced one at Ubuntu ... but maybe that is what the guy at Kubuntu used. Maybe there is something else in that google search?

I will go back and search through them again. I did it a couple of times just to be sure that I had not goofed the disk name or something. That is still possible and I can try it again to be sure. I wish I could capture all of the output when that stuff runs and then post it here. I am sure there is probably a way but I am still a bit of a newb at this although I am surprised that my vi skills are popping back into my head. Those old neurons are not completely dead yet. LOL

A reinstall should not mess up the GRUB boot.

That is good to know. I hope I don't have to reinstall but if it will not harm the existing GRUB boot it should not be a problem

Do you have a separate /home partition? It doesn't seem so.
If not, copy all your personal data (docs, photos, movies, spreadsheets, all that stuff) onto a flash drive or CD so you don't lose them upon re-installing.

Don't know how to do that using a Live CD.

Did you comment out the extras to see if XP appears on the boot menu?

Yes,. I did and it worked. I also tried to add back in the 2.6.24-22 kernel but when I try to boot from that option using GRUB it says "no file found" or something like that. Perhaps one of my updates or other actions removed the latest kernel. I did try a suggested apt-get autoremove and it might have removed it for some reason. I am sort of getting wrapped around the axle on this now so I need to take some deep breaths and go slowly.

At least I have learned how to edit and get to files by mounting from the live CD.

for separate /home:
Partitioning—how to, Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

This is a bit more than I am ready for at this point. Just trying to restore or preserve what I have. I will read the reference though to learn more.

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

"Don't know how to do that using a Live CD."

Copying your data off to a CD:
Let's see, in a Live Kubuntu CD session,
Open Konqueror (file browser)
Storage Media
Locate the Kubuntu partition
Click on it to get into your Kubuntu partition
/home/your_name
and you should see your data files.
For now, you could just drag them off onto the Live Kubuntu Desktop.
Then with your data on the Live Kubuntu Desktop,
start dragging it off onto a flash drive or a CD (K3b may be called into play here to Write Data to CD or some such, but it should pop right up at you when you Open the CD from the CD pop-up window).

Problems accessing/mounting the Kubuntu HD partition:
K > System Settings > Advanced > Disk & Filesystems > Administrator Mode (button at lower right), then you can click on the Kubuntu partition, edit/modify, and click so any user can do anything at any time (there's a drop-down list there).
Back out and highlight the Kubuntu partition and click "Enable."
Then ,back to Konqueror > Storage Media and even then you might have right-click on that Kubuntu partition and select Mount (if it is not already mounted after Disk & Filesystems enabling).

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

Thanks. That is a great step-by-step. I am running out of time this morning as I have to go pick up the girls from school soon. I sure do appreciate the hand holding here. I think my next priority....probably tonight....will be to get the data backed up on a CD. I have a second account on that machine for my oldest granddaughter. She has no data of course. But, I did do a nice little custom wallpaper for her. I don't know how to get to her account's data. I am sure once I get tha hard disks mounted I can find them using Dolphin. I have burned a lot of CDs and DVDs but never from a Live CD. Thanks so much for the guide.

"Don't know how to do that using a Live CD."

Copying your data off to a CD:
Let's see, in a Live Kubuntu CD session,
Open Konqueror (file browser)
Storage Media
Locate the Kubuntu partition
Click on it to get into your Kubuntu partition
/home/your_name
and you should see your data files.
For now, you could just drag them off onto the Live Kubuntu Desktop.
Then with your data on the Live Kubuntu Desktop,
start dragging it off onto a flash drive or a CD (K3b may be called into play here to Write Data to CD or some such, but it should pop right up at you when you Open the CD from the CD pop-up window).

Problems accessing/mounting the Kubuntu HD partition:
K > System Settings > Advanced > Disk & Filesystems > Administrator Mode (button at lower right), then you can click on the Kubuntu partition, edit/modify, and click so any user can do anything at any time (there's a drop-down list there).
Back out and highlight the Kubuntu partition and click "Enable."
Then ,back to Konqueror > Storage Media and even then you might have right-click on that Kubuntu partition and select Mount (if it is not already mounted after Disk & Filesystems enabling).

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

Should I be afraid to take the update on this, my primary desktop, or was this problem just specific to my wife's machine?

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

What a crap-shoot that is!
Fact is, MOST people--almost all people--didn't have a problem with the update.
Hard to tell.
As a rule, I usually hold off for a week or so, BUT that leaves you open for not having the latest security updates, and I've seen posts by the pro's who say they've never had a problem taking updates timely.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

Apparently I took the upgrade on my laptop without even knowing it. No idea why my wife's got messed up by the upgrade. At least she can get to Windows.

What a crap-shoot that is!
Fact is, MOST people--almost all people--didn't have a problem with the update.
Hard to tell.
As a rule, I usually hold off for a week or so, BUT that leaves you open for not having the latest security updates, and I've seen posts by the pro's who say they've never had a problem taking updates timely.

[rbrown3rd]

Re: Last Update Deadly

Sound's like creating a separate home partition is the way to go. I am assuming that if one does that and has to reinstall everything would remain intact.

You might try the procedure again, just to be sure.
The google also referenced one at Ubuntu ... but maybe that is what the guy at Kubuntu used. Maybe there is something else in that google search?

A reinstall should not mess up the GRUB boot.

Do you have a separate /home partition? It doesn't seem so.
If not, copy all your personal data (docs, photos, movies, spreadsheets, all that stuff) onto a flash drive or CD so you don't lose them upon re-installing.

Did you comment out the extras to see if XP appears on the boot menu?


for separate /home:
Partitioning—how to, Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

[Qqmike]

Re: Last Update Deadly

"I am assuming that if one does that and has to reinstall everything would remain intact."

rbrown3rd, that's right. That would be, well, in theory, that is.......

Intact--your data and your custom settings/configurations, and apps (like email, browser).