Re: KERNEL Panic!

[Jeff Licquia <jeff@luci.org>]

Laszlo Acs wrote:

> At 12:58 AM 11/21/98 +0000, you wrote:
> >
> >Laszlo Acs wrote:
> >
> >> I suddenly had a blowout.
> >>
> >> Screen log shows:
> >> VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly.
> >> -/bin/sh: can't open cache '/etc/ld.so.cache'
> >> hda: read_intr: status=0x59 {DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest Error }
> >> hda: read_intr: error=0x40 {UncorrectableError }, LBAsect=16457, sector=16394
> >> end_request: I/O error, dev 03:01, sector 16394
> >> Kernel panic: EXT2-fs panic (device 03:01): ext2_read_inode: unable to read
> >> i-node block - inode=1921, block=8197
> >>
> >> What should I do?  Do I have to start all over?  My interpretation of this
> >> message is that the hard drive apparently has developed a bad block or
> >> something.  Am I correct?  I have this sinking feeling that I should've
> >> backed up all that stuff I worked on last night when I was thinking about
> >> it... but no, it was late... besides, what would happen...  Murphy's Law...
> >
> >Get that backup - quick!
> >
> >It certainly sounds like a disk failure of some kind.  Assuming that this isn't
> >a new drive or something, it seems like age has caught up with you.
> >
> >But all is not lost - yet.
> >
> >/etc/ld.so.cache is an important file for the system, but it's a cache file -
> >just like the name says.  You can rebuild the cache file with a simple
> "ldconfig
> >-v".  Be sure to rename (not delete) the old file; it wouldn't do if the system
> >tried to write the new cache file to the same disk location.
>
> When I get that message, the computer at that point is in such a state that
> the keyboard is active (I can type and the letters appear on the monitor,
> but nothing happens.  There are no other windows to switch to, no active
> process that will respond to any keyboard manipulation.  Interestingly,
> CTRL-ALT-DEL will reset the computer. Trying to boot from my lilo rescue
> will not occur.  I checked CMOS to make sure that A: is first in Boot
> Sequence (it was) and still, no doing.  I believe that my old 486 (it is
> OLD, and a Cyrix...) finally bit the proverbial bad apple.  I'm gonna try a
> few other non-destructive DOS things, if I can coax this baby into booting
> from disk.

When /etc/ld.so.cache goes, the system pretty much goes into la-la-land, since
ld.so relies on this to determine which shared libraries to load.

If you can boot from a rescue disk, you might be able to recover the system by
rebuilding that cache.  You can't just use an emergency boot disk because that only
starts the boot process; you need an entirely new system to work from.


> It's not such a big loss if scratched, though.  I'm used to losing hours,
> days, and weeks of data and work.  It's not like anything on this machine
> provides sustenance.  This particular machine is my educator, a trainer
> which I use only sporadically.  Granted, I'm not a pretty sight and my kid's
> run from my presence. "[My] mood and facial expression speaks volumes,"
> replies my fiancee.  Not the first time this has happened, probably not the
> last.

No fun.


> Ahh... Checking hardware, I found the A: disk had somehow gotten it's power
> disconnected.  So now I can boot from A:...
>
> I do believe all is lost.  I just tried many different drive utilities and
> the hardware approach by swapping the hard drive on to a newer bios/real
> Intel processor board.  No go.  The HD has no bootable partition (odd since
> it does boot) and nothing I do nor any non-destrutive utility I try will
> scan the surface to check for errors.  Norton doesn't even recognize it's
> existance.  Does anyone know of any utility that can do something to attempt
> a rescue of the data on this drive, or should I toast it and re-partition it
> or have CMOS wipe and scan the partitions?

Believe it or not, the DOS utils have a way to go with assisting in recovery of
Linux.

Linux doesn't use the "active partition" system, AFAIK; you just configure it to
boot from whatever partition you want.  So, if you have an all-Linux system, you
might not have an active partition.  Not surprisingly, DOS utilities get all
confused when no partition is set active, not to mention the fact that the Linux
swap and native partition types are recognized by very few disk utilities outside
of Linux.

Again, you might have better luck with a Linux rescue disk.  Sunsite
(http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux) has a few in a directory somewhere; poke around
and you'll likely find it.

If you're still frustrated and you need more help, give me a call (698-6234).  If
I'm around, I'd be happy to help, if I can.  At least you'd have someone else to
blow steam with. :-)



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