[linux-audio-user] Ardour Crash + can't boot

[Fernando Pablo Lopez-Lezcano]

> Thanks to these replies, I learned to use "linux single" at that boot:
> prompt
> 
> That got me in a shell, along with this error:
> 
> The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
> filesytem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2 filesystem
> (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock is corrupt, and
> you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
>  e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
> 
> fsck.ext3: Filesystem revision too high while trying to open /dev/hda2
> 
> eek, I say.  so I said oh alright and entered:
> e2fsck -b 8193 /dev/hda2
> 
> and got the same superblock error
> 
> so I referred to Jan's email and typed:
> fsck /dev/hda2
> 
> and got the same superblock error
> 
> so I said hmm and tried:
> fsck /dev/hda
> 
> and got a similar superblock error only it mentioned ext2   - odd?

Sounds bad, like the filesystem got corrupted. 

> and that's where I'm stuck currently - worried that I've got a hardware
> malfunction :)
> 
> 
> here's the caveat:  last night before hearing back from anyone, I, in my
> grand wise impatience, booted with the red hat cd and entered the rescue
> mode.  there, per instructions I found in an archived email, I attempted to
> mount hda2 and it said the device doesn't exist.  eek.  so then, in my GRAND
> GRAND wise impatience, I decided to let Red Hat CD install a new OS, while
> keeping all partitions and just using free space.  during this install
> process, I got error messages while reading hda - i hobbled through the
> process, let it reboot, and came out with the same kernel panic, which led
> me to believe I was having a harddisk screw up. 

What kind of error messages did you get during the new install and at
what point in the process? What is the current partitioning structure of
the disk (after all that happened)? You can find out by doing "fdisk -l"
from the rescue prompt, I guess. 

It could be that the new install did not update grub (who knows why) to
point to the newly installed system and you are still trying to boot the
old one. Hmmmm, if fact that could be the case if you have duplicated
labels. Check the labels of the partitions that are supposed to be the
"/" partition (you should have two if I understand correctly what you
did). If one of your root partitions is /dev/hda2 then:

  e2label /dev/hda2

should output "/"

Do that with the other partitions. If you have two "/"'s then there's
the boot confusion. Change the OLD one to something else with (replace
with the proper device):

  e2label /dev/hdx "OLD/"

Try booting again...
-- Fernando