linux not booting

[estesflyer]

everytime i install linux, no matter what distro, I always get some sort of kernel panic similar to this

EXTZ-fs:unable to read superblock
isofs_read_super: bread failed, dev=03:02, iso_blknum=16, block32
Kernel panic: VFS Unable to mount root fs on 03:02


does anyone have any idea what this means?

Is it possible that something has gone wrong w/ my hardisk?

If it means anything, I think I lost the mount point on my ntfs partition. Err, the partition is there, and its ntfs but it has no drive letter. I am not able to access anything whatsoever. Windows wont even boot!!!
unfortunately, I have some program that gives me an option to boot linux or dos. I forgot the name of it (just like me though, can't remember my own name at times...), but its in the MBR

Will whiping the MBR delete the partition as well?
any and all info will be highly appreciated.

TIA

- Rusty - Rusty

 

[danielhozac]

When you install Linux, do you format the main Linux partition as an EXT2 partition? //Daniel

 

[fluid11]

Wiping out the MBR will only remove your Linux bootloader (the boot menu you see when you boot, which is either GRUB or LILO). You will not able to boot to anything (without boot disks) if you do this. If this is what you want, from Linux or DOS, run "fdisk /mbr". The rest of your partitions will remain intact.


ChrisP

 

[krale]

---Will whiping the MBR delete the partition as well?
any and all info will be highly appreciated.

Nope. You can zero the MBR, put the WIn2k bootloader or anything. But if you touch the partition table, you've pretty much hosed the system UNLESS you have backups of the geometries of your disk.

 

[estesflyer]

I have no clue what i formatted the main nix partition as. Red hat did that for me. (red hat 7.1; hey, it was just lyin there and i figured i'd atleast give it a try...)

thx for the info on the mbr. I think i have lilo, not sure. Oh well, its all fixing to be gone soon. Gonna see if a little cleaning up will do the trick.
But even so, I dont see how windows will run just fine on the drive and linux cant... It's probably something im doing wrong. Trial and error can be the best teacher tho.

TIA

- Rusty - Rusty