Kernel 2.6.4, fsck crashes on start-up

[TheRepublican]

Hello all, a small problem. I've decided that I don't like RedHat too much, and decided to switch to GNU Debian 3.0r2. Well, since I installed it I've found most of the software to be horribly out of date, including the kernel (v2.2.20). Since, I have downloaded new versions of GCC and GNU make, and installed them. I then proceded to update my kernel to the latest stable release, 2.6.4. I did so without too much difficulty, however when I start up it wants to fsck my root partition (ext2), but gives me an error saying it's either not checking an ext2 partition or that the superblock on the drive is bad. Will converting to ext3 solve this, and will I be able to convert to this from my 2.2.20 kernel? Or did I not configure my kernel correctly? If you need to see a config file, like the kernel's or my fstab, I can post those. Any help is greatly appreciated.

//Edit

Looks like others are having the same problem. I think it's a Debian issue. If anyone else is having similar difficulties, please post!

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...824#post815824

http://videl.ics.hawaii.edu/pipermai...ry/001829.html

[pwaring]

You can install the 2.4.x series kernel by using the bf24 option at the boot: prompt when installing in Woody onwards, if you want to re-install. 2.2.20 doesn't have ext3 support if I recall correctly. Oh, and do not just edit the /etc/fstab file - this doesn't change your partition, it just tells Linux what to mount it as.

I had a similar problem on Debian, see this topic on LQ for more info:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=125268

(ignore the unhelpful comments from HappyTux regarding X running on a server, trolling etc.).

[TheRepublican]

Thanks pwaring, but I am not interested in installing the 2.4 kernel Debian provides, as even that is an old version, and I really do not want to reinstall. 2.2.20 does not have ext3 support, I was just wondering if you needed it compiled in your kernel to convert from ext2 to ext3, as I thought that would fix my problem. I did fix that problem by using mkinitrd to create a initrd file, however now my kernel says it cannot mount my root partition. Not that it can't read it, I have IDE and ext2 support compiled in, but that it cannot mount it. 2.2.20 still is working though. I do not have the .config file from that build, at least I don't think Debian provided it, so I've been kind of messing with the kernel options blindly all day. I know editing my /etc/fstab will not change partition types, just thought it would be relavent to the problem.

Thanks for posting though. You're the only reply I've gotten all day, here or at linuxquestions.org

//edit

I am not interested in configuring X right now, I need a new version of glibc before I do that and before I upgrade glibc I want to get my kernel working.

[pwaring]

You would need ext3 support compiled in to the kernel in order to mount and use ext3 filesystems onyour local machine. I don't know if you can compile it into the 2.2.x series, but there's nothing to stop you trying.