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comp.sys.3b1 FAQ part2
Section - 8.5. What do I do when the machine hangs at the boot message?

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		Version #.##x
		Real memory      = #######
		Available memory = #######
		Main board is ####

	9 times out of 10 the /etc/inittab file is either deleted,
corrupted, or truncated because of some filesystem damage during a
system crash.

	The machine will hang there at that Main board prompt forever
since /etc/init is looking for the inittab file.  This is where it is
handy to have a floppy filesystem disk with saved copy of /etc/inittab
on it.  Boot the system using the "Floppy Boot Disk" (Disk 2 of ##),
then insert your copy when it asks for the Floppy Filesystem Disk.
Interrupt the script with <DEL> to get a "#" prompt when the first
question appears.  On your floppy, if you followed the previous
advice, is /etc/inittab.save, which can be happily copied to the
/mnt/etc/inittab file when the hard disk root filesystem (/dev/fp002)
is mounted from the floppy as /mnt.

		# umount /dev/fp002
		# fsck -s /dev/rfp002
		# mount /dev/fp002 /mnt
		# ls -l /mnt/etc/inittab
	If the file isn't there, or is corrupted:
		# cp /etc/inittab.save /mnt/etc/inittab
		# sync
		# umount /dev/fp002
		# sync
		# sync
		# reboot

	The other one time (out of 10), the /etc/inittab file is okay
but there is a /etc/utmp.lck file on the system.  This happens in very
rare race conditions involving the pututent(3C) routines.  Removing
this file and rebooting will generally recover the system.

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Top Document: comp.sys.3b1 FAQ part2
Previous Document: 8.4. How do I stop that darn double-ESC mode on console windows?
Next Document: 8.6. How can the UNIX PC be made more secure?

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Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer:
jbunch@nyx.nyx.net (John B. Bunch)





Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM