Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

lknows · 2014-10-11 20:51:09

I just made a fresh installation on my lenovo y500. Everything went well. I rebooted (without the usb), and I get the error:
"ERROR: device '/dev/sdc2' not found. Skipping fsck.
Error: Unable to find root device '/dev/sdc2"

I figured I must have goofed somewhere in the installation process, so I thought I'd just boot back into my live USB and start all over, but now the USB is not being detected whatsoever.
When I open my BIOS, I can't change my boot priorities to USB because the option isn't even present anymore. It's as if the USB isn't recognized.
When I try to boot into my (apparently broken) arch installation, I get dropped to a recovery shell after the error. Is there anything I can do in this?
I don't want to make a whole other LiveUSB because the only machines I have left to make it are windows. And I'm windows retarded...

I have already done the following:
1. Ensured that secure boot is disabled
2. Enabled USB Boot (However it doesn't show up in my bootable devices. Only see HDD Device and Linux Boot Manager. Both bring me to the same error)
3. Moved my USB stick to different ports. Still not able to be detected as a bootable device
4. Booted into recovery mode. It brings me to the same error.

Would switching my boot mode to legacy help at all? I'd rather not even try because I just don't even see how it could help.root device not found arch post installatin
This is not a dual installation. It's a clean installation because I didn't want any silly boot errors (just my luck, I guess).
Gummiboot was my chosen bootloader during installation. I only had 2 partitions made a root partition 'sdc2' and the efi partition 'sdc1' which was formatted and created with the ef00 esp code
No notable errors arose during installation and I unmounted everything before I rebooted. I am truly at my wit's end...

lknows · 2014-10-11 20:57:17

Update: Problems have been exacerbated by my tweaking the BIOS settings
I didn't enable the secure boot option, but for whatever reason I can not even boot into my broken arch installation because I get a blue error screen saying:
"Linux Boot Manager has been blocked by the current security policy." And because I have no other bootable devices (even though my USB is still plugged in) this is the only screen I can get to aside from my bios and boot menu...

lknows · 2014-10-11 21:03:21

update 2: I have selected a "Reset to Setup Mode" option in the BIOS that has brought the broken arch installation back, however the rest of the problems persist. No live USB or root device can be detected.

clfarron4 · 2014-10-11 21:15:19

lknows wrote:

I just made a fresh installation on my lenovo y500. Everything went well. I rebooted (without the usb), and I get the
error:
"ERROR: device '/dev/sdc2' not found. Skipping fsck.
Error: Unable to find root device '/dev/sdc2"

1) How many drives (SSDs and HDDs) does that machine have inside of it?
2) Just where were you (planning to) installing to?

EDIT: I'd expect to have at most two drives inside an off-the-shelf laptop, with the installation drives being located at /dev/sdaX (or /dev/sdbY in the case that the laptop has a second disk). A laptop installation to /dev/sdcZ is screaming (to me anyways) USB disk installation, not internal installation.

PS: [ code ] tags
PPS: You can edit your posts, instead of posting multiple times.

Last edited by clfarron4 (2014-10-11 21:21:05)

lknows · 2014-10-11 21:28:07

clfarron4 wrote:

1) How many drives (SSDs and HDDs) does that machine have inside of it?
2) Just where were you (planning to) installing to?
EDIT: I'd expect to have at most two drives inside an off-the-shelf laptop, with the installation drives being located at /dev/sdaX (or /dev/sdbY in the case that the laptop has a second disk). A laptop installation to /dev/sdcZ is screaming USB disk installation, not internal installation.

1. 16GB SSD Cache and a TB HDD
2. /dev/sdc was the planned installation location (if that's what you're asking) When I booted into the live usb, the usb was named sda, and the command [ fdisk -l ] didn't reveal any sdb location at all.
Prior to booting into the live USB, this machine was running a dual boot of WIndows and Ubuntu, but for whatever reason I fudged up the windows installation so I only ever booted into the ubuntu installation.

clfarron4 · 2014-10-11 21:49:30

lknows wrote:

2. /dev/sdc was the planned installation location (if that's what you're asking) When I booted into the live usb, the usb was named sda, and the command [ fdisk -l ] didn't reveal any sdb location at all.

No wonder your bootloader's not finding anything. /dev/sdc was the right installation point when you were running the LiveUSB, but it isn't the right mount point when actually booting from the machine.

Find the bootloader settings of the actual installation (inside the /boot folder) and change the /dev/sdc to either /dev/sdb or /dev/sda and then try booting in again (I suggest /dev/sdb first).

I use UUIDs with GRUB, and you can probably do something similar with gummboot. I do it so I avoid being unable to boot when my internal hard disk (I only have one) isn't recognised as /dev/sda.

Last edited by clfarron4 (2014-10-11 21:50:23)

lknows · 2014-10-11 22:01:59

clfarron4 wrote:

Find the bootloader settings of the actual installation (inside the /boot folder) and change the /dev/sdc to either /dev/sdb or /dev/sda and then try booting in again (I suggest /dev/sdb first).

How could I go about doing this? Booting into my new arch installation only places me in a recovery shell (which I'm not familiar with at all). Also, the liveUSB I used to make the installation happen is no longer being detected as a bootable device in the BIOS no matter what BIOS settings I tweak.

nomorewindows · 2014-10-11 22:37:38

If you change devices around from the time you install to the time you run, might change the order or what they are called.

lknows · 2014-10-11 22:38:51

Ok, I'm gonna just be a quitter and go back to square one. I made another Live USB and it is recognized by my BIOS this time. Wish me luck.

P.S. How do I close this thread?

lknows · 2014-10-12 01:03:42

nomorewindows wrote:

If you change devices around from the time you install to the time you run, might change the order or what they are called.

Oh my god. I'm the world's biggest idiot. Of course! You're exactly right. Technically clfarron4 figured it out first, but I was a bit preoccupied at the moment.

But anyways, yes. To clarify for those potentially curious, when I rebooted without the liveUSB plugged in the partition names got bumped down a notch (sdc partitions became sdb, sdb became sda) thus the inability to find the root device. Thanks a lot guys! I'm gonna go hide in embarassment at my stupidity because even though you guys figured it out, I didn't get the picture until I reinstalled. I'm a dunce.

scryan · 2014-10-12 02:06:52

Yeah, UUID's are a good thing

Arch Linux

#1 2014-10-11 20:51:09

Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#2 2014-10-11 20:57:17

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#3 2014-10-11 21:03:21

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#4 2014-10-11 21:15:19

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#5 2014-10-11 21:28:07

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#6 2014-10-11 21:49:30

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#7 2014-10-11 22:01:59

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#8 2014-10-11 22:37:38

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#9 2014-10-11 22:38:51

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#10 2014-10-12 01:03:42

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

#11 2014-10-12 02:06:52

Re: Root device cannot be found after fresh installation

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