Arch Linux

timm

Member

From: Wisconsin

Registered: 2004-02-25

Posts: 417

Error 11: Unrecognized device string [Solved]

I've installed Arch off of the rc-4 images, and am having a problem with my main boot configuration.

If I boot from the main configuration, I get the above error, press any key to continue, which returns me to the boot menu.
If I run the fallback image, it boots fine.  The lines in the configuration files on the boot screen are identical, other than one runs the fallback.img

I'm running my hard drives off of a Highpoint Rocket 133, which shows up as an HPT302.  The CD drive is running off of the IDE connector on the mainboard.

In trying to figure this out, I thought to review the mkinitcpio.conf file and the fallback.conf file, however, there is no fallback conf file on the system that I am able to find.

How do I go about finding the problem?

Last edited by timm (2008-04-26 17:02:24)

timm

Member

From: Wisconsin

Registered: 2004-02-25

Posts: 417

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string [Solved]

The important part of menu.lst as created at the installation is as follows:

# (0) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux
root   (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26
root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/fbb1e47a-ffff-4065-90b4-df10bf323b3b ro vga=773
initrd /kernel26.img

# (1) Arch Linux
title  Arch Linux Fallback
root   (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/fbb1e47a-ffff-4065-90b4-df10bf323b3b ro
initrd /kernel26-fallback.img

I thought the difference (the new line with root=/dev/etc) was an insignificant difference, but everything I read said a misconfigured menu.lst was the problem.  I moved the root=/dev/etc to the same line as the kernel directive, as in the fallback portion, and now everything boots fine.

[bump]

I've been experimenting with several setups, programs, etc, and so have installed arch about a dozen times over the past few days.  I find the problem is that, when adding "vga=773" to the kernel line, nano breaks the line before "root=".  (I have fixed the example to accurately show what's happening, instead of what I thought was happening.)  I suspect it's because of the length of the uuid device spec.  Easily fixed, but annoying.  Outside of install, I usually use vi.

Last edited by timm (2008-04-29 12:47:24)

bluesurfer

Member

From: Regensburg, Germany

Registered: 2004-08-29

Posts: 29

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string [Solved]

thanks a lot for the solution! I've had the same problem

technononsense

Member

From: Right there

Registered: 2008-07-04

Posts: 20

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string [Solved]

Me too!

Thanks for updating timm.

AbtZ

Member

Registered: 2008-05-30

Posts: 31

Re: Error 11: Unrecognized device string [Solved]

This problem vexed me for a few hours as well, making me waste time on reinstalling Arch, and removing the /boot partition you get with the "auto configure" option.

Nice to see the solution was so simple. Thanks!