Kernel panic after linux host .iso install [SOLVED}

[Craigus]

Hi all,

I've installed VL6.0 STD Gold on my Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600 with no problems and am posting this from it.

I'm also trying to install on a Toshiba Portege 3480CT. These have no optical drive.

I installed Zenwalk 6 on the 3480CT as a temporary host linux o/s on /dev/sda4.
/dev/sda1 4 gb is for VL root.
/dev/sda2 1 gb is swap
/dev/sda3 10 gb is /home.

The vinstall-iso.asc and VL6.0-STD-Gold.iso were on a USB stick /dev/sdb1

The text mode installer ran fine and the installation completed without any reported errors.

When I try to boot (lilo works fine), I get :

VFS: Cannot open root device "801" or unknown-block(0,1)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available partitions:
0301  ...  hda1
0302  ...  hda2
0303  ...  hda3
0304  ...  hda4
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,1)

If I boot with root=0301, I then get:

reiserfs_open: the reiserfs superblock could not be found on /dev/sda1
failed to open the filesystem

A similar error occurs if I install VL to /dev/sda3 and format that partition to ext3.
fscking the partitions from zenwalk does not reveal any problems.

I can mount /dev/sda1 in zenwalk and it all looks fine.

Help ...

[uelsk8s]

the problem is that VL sees the partitions as HDA and zenwalk sees them as SDA.
you need to install lilo from inside of VL or use the zenwalk kernel in VL.

[Craigus]

Thanks for the quick reply - I had a fuzzy notion that it may have been related to that issue, but hadn't thought it through. I'll try your suggestions and report back.

Many thanks.

[Craigus]

I was able to install using the boot floppies - thanks again for your assistance.

This is a bit of a trap for the unwary though - perhaps some mention of this issue could be added to the linux host iso install instructions ?