[SOLVED] Several post installation problems

nparasta · 2013-08-18 16:09:42

Hello all,

I have just installed Arch on my Lenovo laptop. Installation was successfull but since I've been having all kinds of problems.
- I get a message at boot that says "Failed to mount /dev/sda6" which is normally mounted as /
- Despite the above the system boots at emergency mode asking me give root password for maintenance (Ctrl+D does not change anything) after which it automatically logs me in as root.
- I have installed KDE but I can't get it to start at login. I have to su as a simple user and start it with startx. KDE starts but when I logout I get scrambled text at screen which barely reads "Give root password for maintenance" (the same as at the beginning). Afterwards I tried to re-enable and restart kdm in order to make it start at boot. Now when I login to KDE it freezes from the beginning. Freezes completely. I have to shutdown the laptop with the hardware button.

They seem as different problems but I feel it's part of the same problem. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance

Last edited by nparasta (2013-08-26 08:59:20)

Trilby · 2013-08-18 16:14:54

Can you post the contents of your /etc/fstab and bootloader config?

When in the boot process do you get that message? i.e. what messages are right before it?

nparasta · 2013-08-20 15:38:21

I was able to solve the problem of loading /dev/sda6 which was a minor thing (an apostrophe ' caught up in /etc/fstab ruining everything).

Now the problem is that the system doesn't mount /dev/sda2 which is supposed to be /boot/efi. journalctl -xb throws the following lines:

mount unknown filesystem 'vfat'
boot_efi.mount mount process exited...
Failed to mount /boot/efi

My /etc/fstab lines are:

# /dev/sda2 LABEL=SYSTEM_DRV
UUID=1E87-CBD6 /boot/efi vfat rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=io8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro 0 2

In the system logs it becomes obvious that it's this failure that forces the system into emergency mode in which nothing works. I can't even find my network device now to connect to the internet.

Trilby · 2013-08-20 15:45:54

mount unknown filesystem 'vfat'

This indicates you don't have dosfstools installed. Please try to search before expecting to be guided through every detail here - searching for that error would have quickly lead you to the information you need.

Mr.Elendig · 2013-08-20 16:04:44

Trilby wrote:

mount unknown filesystem 'vfat'
This indicates you don't have dosfstools installed. Please try to search before expecting to be guided through every detail here - searching for that error would have quickly lead you to the information you need.

No, the vfat module is in the kernel.

Sounds more like he is not booting the same kenel version as he has installed.

run `pacman -Q linux && uname -r`

nparasta · 2013-08-20 17:11:13

That is correct. I have 3.10.26 installed but apparently running 3.10.25. I get the problem but I can't solve it the way other people have around the forums (simply restarting to boot the new kernel). To fix it I have to manually update the kernel loaded on /boot/efi, right? How do I do that if I can't mount /boot/efi because of the kernel issue?

WonderWoofy · 2013-08-20 17:26:49

I don't think you have either of those kernels... as they don't exist. I assume you meant that you are using 3.10.5 and supposedly have 3.10.6 installed. You issue is a bit of a catch 22, as you are unable to mount the ESP (no vfat module matching your running kernel), yet mounting the ESP would be required in order to properly udpate. I imagine that you actually have the correct kernel as /boot/vmlinuz-linux. But whatever mechanism you use to copy it from that location to the ESP didn't work.

You are going to have to boot from live media, and fix this from a chroot. Please search around for how to do this, as this information is all over the place.

nparasta · 2013-08-20 19:06:49

WonderWoofy wrote:

I don't think you have either of those kernels... as they don't exist. I assume you meant that you are using 3.10.5 and supposedly have 3.10.6 installed. You issue is a bit of a catch 22, as you are unable to mount the ESP (no vfat module matching your running kernel), yet mounting the ESP would be required in order to properly udpate. I imagine that you actually have the correct kernel as /boot/vmlinuz-linux. But whatever mechanism you use to copy it from that location to the ESP didn't work.
You are going to have to boot from live media, and fix this from a chroot. Please search around for how to do this, as this information is all over the place.

Looks like I'm in for a treat. I chroot-ed, did a full upgrade in case there was an even newer kernel (and there was, 3.10.7). After the upgrade I copied /boot/vmlinuz-linux, /boot/initramfs-linux.img and /boot/initramfs-linux-fallback.img to /boot/efi/EFI/arch/ renaming the files vmlinuz-arch.efi, initramfs-arch.img, initramfs-arch-fallback.img respectively. I unmounted everything and rebooted. Now reFINd freezes as soon as it tries to boot Arch.

freud_zoid · 2013-08-20 19:59:02

nparasta wrote:

Looks like I'm in for a treat.

[SOLVED]

nparasta · 2013-08-20 20:21:42

freud_zoid wrote:

nparasta wrote:
Looks like I'm in for a treat.
[SOLVED]

I was actually being ironic At the end of the post I write that refind freezes and Arch doesn't boot at all!

Last edited by nparasta (2013-08-20 20:22:19)

freud_zoid · 2013-08-20 20:48:34

nparasta wrote:

freud_zoid wrote:
nparasta wrote:
Looks like I'm in for a treat.
[SOLVED]
I was actually being ironic

I hadn't really meant to be ironic, just that it's time to mark the thread solved because it's been established that you've got some reading to do. It will be a treat and you stand to learn a lot if you do.

EDIT:

jasonwryan wrote:

freud_zoid; that wasn't the best way to make your point; particularly as there are some other people actually trying to help the OP.

The post was nothing if not de rigueur for this forum, the help stopped at #7.

No rudeness meant, nparasta. Good luck and have fun.

Last edited by freud_zoid (2013-08-21 14:23:51)

jasonwryan · 2013-08-20 21:29:15

freud_zoid; that wasn't the best way to make your point; particularly as there are some other people actually trying to help the OP.

nparasta · 2013-08-24 11:46:41

freud_zoid wrote:

nparasta wrote:
freud_zoid wrote:
[SOLVED]
I was actually being ironic
I hadn't really meant to be ironic, just that it's time to mark the thread solved because it's been established that you've got some reading to do. It will be a treat and you stand to learn a lot if you do.
EDIT:
jasonwryan wrote:
freud_zoid; that wasn't the best way to make your point; particularly as there are some other people actually trying to help the OP.
The post was nothing if not de rigueur for this forum, the help stopped at #7.
No rudeness meant, nparasta. Good luck and have fun.

The help stopped the moment you blew this thread off without even being involved in it but whatever. Thank you to the people that actually helped or tried to.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-08-18 16:09:42

[SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#2 2013-08-18 16:14:54

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#3 2013-08-20 15:38:21

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#4 2013-08-20 15:45:54

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#5 2013-08-20 16:04:44

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#6 2013-08-20 17:11:13

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#7 2013-08-20 17:26:49

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#8 2013-08-20 19:06:49

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#9 2013-08-20 19:59:02

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#10 2013-08-20 20:21:42

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#11 2013-08-20 20:48:34

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#12 2013-08-20 21:29:15

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

#13 2013-08-24 11:46:41

Re: [SOLVED] Several post installation problems

Board footer