Fresh install Mint 5 Elyssa and no gui to be had

[T-L]

You're on the right track here matey, but it didn't work when I tried it ... However, I've got Vista on a Seagate EIDE, Mint 5 on a SCSI SATA and BusyBl**dyBox doesn't like it! - I can only talk to you now with Minty Freshness, with the Vista HDD physically disconnected ... Ho Hum ... "ide=nodma" just made Minty hang in limbo ...

Are you saying when you disconnect the vista drive Linux Mint boots up and runs just fine? If so what is your root partition labeled as (in the grub boot options, like root=/dev/sdaX) upon a successful boot?

[reactiv8]

You're on the right track here matey, but it didn't work when I tried it ... However, I've got Vista on a Seagate EIDE, Mint 5 on a SCSI SATA and BusyBl**dyBox doesn't like it! - I can only talk to you now with Minty Freshness, with the Vista HDD physically disconnected ... Ho Hum ... "ide=nodma" just made Minty hang in limbo ...

Are you saying when you disconnect the vista drive Linux Mint boots up and runs just fine? If so what is your root partition labeled as (in the grub boot options, like root=/dev/sdaX) upon a successful boot?

Hi there!

yes, indeed, if I physically disconnect the Vista HDD, Mint boots just fine, otherwise not. I think the root partition you refer to is sda1 ... If I re-connect the Vista HDD and try the same, sda1 remains the same, and I have even tried changing the sdaX to sda2, sda5 etc etc - still limbo, with a suggestion to enter "help" etc. I know this is a cinch to someone who knows what to do, but I don't ... So frustraion is intense, and judging by the looks of things, I'm not alone ...

[T-L]

You're on the right track here matey, but it didn't work when I tried it ... However, I've got Vista on a Seagate EIDE, Mint 5 on a SCSI SATA and BusyBl**dyBox doesn't like it! - I can only talk to you now with Minty Freshness, with the Vista HDD physically disconnected ... Ho Hum ... "ide=nodma" just made Minty hang in limbo ...

Are you saying when you disconnect the vista drive Linux Mint boots up and runs just fine? If so what is your root partition labeled as (in the grub boot options, like root=/dev/sdaX) upon a successful boot?

Hi there!

yes, indeed, if I physically disconnect the Vista HDD, Mint boots just fine, otherwise not. I think the root partition you refer to is sda1 ... If I re-connect the Vista HDD and try the same, sda1 remains the same, and I have even tried changing the sdaX to sda2, sda5 etc etc - still limbo, with a suggestion to enter "help" etc. I know this is a cinch to someone who knows what to do, but I don't ... So frustraion is intense, and judging by the looks of things, I'm not alone ...

You could try booting with the vista drive connected, and when you get to the grub screen delete the "quite splash" from the boot options of the default Linux mint line. When your dropped to busybox you will see a little more information on what it's not finding. Please post back with the error message because It might be looking for something like sdf1.. which then you could reboot and edit the same line again, changing out sda1 for sdf1.. but let us know.

[reactiv8]

Followed your advice:~

Removed "quiet splash"

Then changed "sda" to "sdf1" (ro) ...

Then continued, and it sort of started until:~

"[47.846088 sd 4:0:0:3 attached scsi generic sg6 type 0"

Then:~ Limbo ... (and much Grrr & Gnash from yours truly ...)

I'm not questioning my own sanity here, as I have been extraordinarily patient with this and it is:~ BusyBox, BusyBox, BusyBox every time ... Guilty, Guilty, Guilty.

Erm, why? Is this a joke? It ain't funny ...

[Guest]

Problem now sorted!

Changed to priority boot queue to make Linux 1st in the 'queue' - by physically swopping the data leads!

Happy Bunny Again!

[reactiv8]

You could try booting with the vista drive connected, and when you get to the grub screen delete the "quite splash" from the boot options of the default Linux mint line. When your dropped to busybox you will see a little more information on what it's not finding. Please post back with the error message because It might be looking for something like sdf1.. which then you could reboot and edit the same line again, changing out sda1 for sdf1.. but let us know.

To avoid conflict at startup time with BusyBox - If/when you have a PC with two HDDs, (i.e. one with Windows, one with Linux), make certain sure that Mint (Linux) is 1st in the Boot queue - Either by editing the BIOS, or as I did, by physically swopping the data leads to the motherboard, and 'tis sorted! Dead easy once you know how!

Incidentally, Vista ain't too bothered where it is in the boot queue, although it does notice that it has been 'demoted' to 2nd ...

Phew! - Ciao 4 now, Chris.

[Raffael]

Code: Select all

To avoid conflict at startup time with BusyBox - If/when you have a PC with two HDDs, (i.e. one with Windows, one with Linux), make certain sure that Mint (Linux) is 1st in the Boot queue - Either by editing the BIOS, or as I did, by physically swopping the data leads to the motherboard, and 'tis sorted! Dead easy once you know how!

Well, maybe it will work for some people but surely not for me because:

1.My drives are on different bus type (Windows - SATA, Linux - IDE) so You can't physically change the order of the boot queue
2.Swapping drives seqeunce in BIOS didn't change a thing (BusyBox during booting)

When I tried to use root=/dev/sda2 it was loading and loading CDROM driver and it wasn't going to stop. It needed a Ctrl+Alt+Delete combination because it was not responding and the loading progress bar was moving from left to right and backwards all the time...

[willz06jw]

This is a Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron Issue that I have been trying to solve for a long time. It has something to do with the way Hardy handles hard drives and USB devices. I think this is the bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/231632

If you ever solve this one let me know!

Will