Dear James, Ah, BootX. This sounds creepily familiar. My guess on where to start is asking if the kernel the installer _used_ is the same as the one that got _installed_? (this first bit me in Debian woody). The kernel that BootX uses in Macintosh HD:System Folder:Linux Kernels: must be exactly the same as the one in your /boot directory. So: did you copy the newly installed kernel over to your MacOS drive? i. e.
# mount -t hfs /dev/sdXN /mnt/ || mount -t hfsplus /dev/sdXN /mnt/ # cp /boot/vmlinux-2.6.18-4-powerpc /mnt/System\ Folder/Linux\ Kernels/ # cp /boot/System.map-2.6.18-4-powerpc /mnt/System\ Folder/Linux\ Kernels/ # umount /mnt # shutdown -r now Secondly, i seem to recall that Linux treats USB sticks as generic SCSI devices. The order of the devices is not carved in stone as they are for IDE drives, so taking the USB drive out after installation could mess things up a lot, namely DURING INSTALL usb stick - /dev/sda OS 9 disk - /dev/sdb Linux - /dev/sdc AFTER INSTALL OS 9 disk - /dev/sda Linux - /dev/sdb so that /dev/sdc doesn't even exist anymore. Anyways, hope that gives you some ideas on where to look next. Peter james cox wrote: > I have installed etch onto a Powermac 9500 using boot > x & the specified kernel - initrid & install .iso on a > USB stick. > The installer ran successfully other than failing to > install quick (expected) & exited normally. This is > where my problems start. I reset bootx to boot to my > root partition (boot=/dev/sdc3) & clicked "linux". > After the boot i was greeted with this message at end > of boot messages. > > Cannot open root device "root=/dev/sdb3)or unknown > block (0,0) > Please append correct "root=" boot option; here are > available partitions > 0200 1440 fd0 (driver?) > kernel panic - not syncing VFS; unable to mount root > fs on unkown block (0,0) > reboot in 180 seconds > I have at least succeded in getting into rescue mode > in the installer & mounting the root file system so i > do know it is there. Unfortunately i know very little > about how to rescue a linux box. > > The machine in question has these drives: > 500 MB SCSI ID 0 (mac OS9) > 2.0 GB SCSI ID 2 (contains linux partitions) > CDROM SCSI ID 3 (8x apple cdrom drive) > > The 2.0 gig drive is partitioned with mac driver, > /boot, /root & SWAP partitions according to the guided > partitioning selection in the installer. > > Can anyone give me an idea where to go from here?? > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Be a better friend, newshound, and > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ > > -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]