[PLUG] Busted computer

[John Jason Jordan]

On 17 Oct 2007 11:12:43 -0700
Russell Senior <russell at personaltelco.net> wrote:

> >>>>> "John" == John Jason Jordan <johnxj at comcast.net> writes:

> If you get another one, please consider donating your cast off laptop
> to PTP.  We are in need of portable computing devices for node
> diagnostics and repair.  We can also use them *as* access points.  If
> we can't use them, they'll go to Free Geek.

I've been thinking of such things, but it will be a while before I get
a new computer and am ready to part with this one. Still, consider
yourself on my list.

> John> Begin: Running /scripts/init-bottom ...  Done.  run-init:
> John> /sbin/init: No such file or directory [ 35.786176] Kernel panic
> John> - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!  [ 35.786242]

> It is looking for /sbin/init.  That could be in the initrd file. (I
> don't use initrd's typically, so forgive my uncertainty, and someone
> smarter please correct me), or might be in the root filesystem.  You
> could try substituting init with a kernel option in the grub kernel
> line:
> 
>   init=/bin/bash
> 
> so, if you start with something like this:
> 
>   title           Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.22-2-amd64
>   root            (hd0,0)
>   kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-2-amd64 root=/dev/hda1 ro 
>   initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-2-amd64
>   savedefault
>   
> stop grub from booting automatically, and (following the on screen
> directions), edit the kernel line to say this instead:
> 
>   kernel          /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-2-amd64 root=/dev/hda1 ro
> init=/bin/bash
> 
> and see if it can find that.  That init option tells it to use bash
> instead of the init program.

I saw your note this morning, but have been too busy all day to try
it. I just did and it didn't work. I still get the kernel panic:

run-init: /bin/bash: no such file or directory
[99.617976] kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!
[99.618042] 

I rebooted to the Slackware live CD (love it, becoming my favorite
rescue CD!) and navigated to /bin. There is definitely a bash
executable there, so it's not that it's missing or located someplace
else.

Can I use something else besides bash? 

And if anyone else is running Ubuntu, what is the init program that
grub is looking for?