Arch Linux

chochem

Member

From: Denmark

Registered: 2008-03-02

Posts: 176

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No-cd installation from GRUB/partition fails: "Kinit: init not found"

Hi,

I'm trying to get Arch install going using the Fast Arch install guide on the wiki. I'm having problems getting past the point where a root file system is mounted. I at first adapted the guide's GRUB entry to:

title ArchCD Hard Drive Installation
kernel (hd0,3)/isolinux/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda4 BOOTMEDIA=cd
initrd (hd0,3)/isolinux/initrd.img

seeing as the partition I've set aside for install media is the fourth primary partition on my hd.

Everything goes well until the bootup process tries mounting /dev/hda4 as root . /dev/hda4 does not exist and I'm dumped into shell and told to call again when it does. I tried going over the entries in /dev/ and sure enough no hda's at all.

I then tried two other attempts at making a useable root to mount. First I adapted the one from an ubuntu guide into:

kernel (hd0,3)/isolinux/vmlinuz BOOTMEDIA=cd root=/dev/ram0 ramdisk_size=524288 rw

which it didn't recognise until I added a 'rootfstype=ramfs' parameter.

This time it seems to have successfully mounted the 'drive', however I am then told something along the lines of:

kinit: init not found
kernel panic something something...

Finally I tried using an ext2 formatted usb key (which arch identified as /dev/sdb1) to serve this purpose. Mounting is (afaict) succesful but the same problem as above.

I'm pretty ignorant of the way booting works so if any one can enlighten me as to what I've misunderstood/mistaken (or better yet, tell me that it's not my fault but the system's), I'll be grateful.

kumico

Member

Registered: 2007-09-28

Posts: 224

Website

Re: No-cd installation from GRUB/partition fails: "Kinit: init not found"

the drive is at sda4
the devices are now all named in the sata sd* convention ..

Last edited by kumico (2008-04-11 06:19:06)

chochem

Member

From: Denmark

Registered: 2008-03-02

Posts: 176

Website

Re: No-cd installation from GRUB/partition fails: "Kinit: init not found"

Thanks - I guess it should have given me pause that the usb key was sdb rather than sda. Nevertheless, I don't quite follow you on the number... Surely, they'd be named sda1, sda2, sda3, and sda4 (thus making sda4 the fourth partition)?

kumico

Member

Registered: 2007-09-28

Posts: 224

Website

Re: No-cd installation from GRUB/partition fails: "Kinit: init not found"

yeh, sorry .. i got confused by the grub hd* naming scheme